U.S. keeps Tier-2 rating of Japan's efforts against human trafficking

And the US is Tier 1? Yeah, right...

The US lives in a bubble of nonsense.

"A common misconception about human trafficking is that it does not happen in the United States. This is false, as the United States is ranked as one of the worst countries globally for human trafficking. It is estimated that 199,000 incidents occur within the United States every year." --

https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/human-trafficking-statistics-by-state

I like to know the tier of the US. Because even if you kill me, i wouldn't believe them to even be anywhere near tier 1 or 2.

@Peter Neil

The rating depends on prosecution, company abuse, government involvement in trafficking. There is no state sponsored trafficking in US and US does prosecute human traffickers when they find them. Human trafficking is a problem in every country. The difference is how authorities in a given country investigate and prosecute such cases.

While I agree with this tier level, makes you wonder what tier the United States is, where there's an epidemic of human trafficking at all levels and for all purposes.

Well, I have a search engine thing called "Google." I looked up the document on the US State Department site. I also found many other things that run counter to the US "We're better than everyone" proclamations.

To the victims of trafficking, it doesn't matter about government involvement. The US construction, landscaping and food industries are filled to the brim with people trafficked to the US. Have you ever heard of a single US company being charged with harboring or hiring illegals and illegally trafficked people? Never.

Why not? Because it is condoned and encouraged to keep people confined to slave-labor wages and the fear of imprisonment. The Immigration and Customs agents are bribed by companies to look the other way.

Profit is the master enslaver in the US.

Countries with poor human rights records including China, Iran, Myanmar, North Korea, Russia, Syria and Venezuela remained on Tier 3, the lowest level of the rating

The U.S. State Department on Thursday maintained....

while apparently ignoring its own internal human rights issues, especially in US states where the US Republican Party and other anti-democracy organizations are trying to limit the voting rights of low income people and people of color.

Not surprising the countries with poor human rights records include China, Iran, Myanmar, North Korea, Russia, Syria and Venezuela, i.e **countries controlled by authoritarian** regimes.

Obviously the ratings are not free of many other problems but I am surprised Japan did not go down to level 3 thanks to the many problems being reported about foreigners workers during the pandemic.

I would be very interested in learning about those "significant efforts" the Japanese government is doing to solve the problem. Up until now meetings and discussions without any real change is the most I have seen.

Wouldn’t it have been more ‘truthful’ to just headline as:

“Japan fails to improve its Tier-2 rating of human trafficking: U.S State Dept reports”

Like @virusrex 7:36am pointed out:

- “would be very interested in learning those "significant efforts" the J govt is doing to solve the problem. Up until now meetings and discussions without any real change is the most seen.” -

There’s nothing of these efforts highlighted in this, perhaps* another Pre-Olympics PR ‘spin’ *downplaying Japan’s faults beneath the Olympic veneer.

"A common misconception about human trafficking is that it does not happen in the United States. This is false, as the United States is ranked as one of the worst countries globally for human trafficking. It is estimated that 199,000 incidents occur within the United States every year." --

Something that the mainstream media continues to ignore. The last few years, there have been many police rescues of many victims of human trafficking which often includes children sold by their own parents.

Japanese immigration system is been heavily criticised for numerous deaths of detainees.

I hate the US immigration system as well, but a death of a detainee in the US would have tremendous consequences if ever happens.

The US rates itself at tier 1, which on the face of it seems faintly ridiculous given that human trafficking evidently is a significant issue there. It is worth pointing out though, that the rating is not based on how much trafficking is happening, it is about whether governments fully cooperate with the specific provisions of a specific US act. As these provisions have been written by the US, within a US cultural and political framework, it is kind of understandable that the US government is deemed to be complying. One might argue, for example, that the use of forced labour in the world's biggest prison population constitutes a form of human trafficking, especially given the perverse incentives to keep people locked up; you can bet your bottom dollar that this would not be considered a violation by the report.

Japan is known to still be One of, if not the worst, the biggest offenders in the world, especially in labor and sex trafficking.

And what's US's own rating? Tier 10?

Media do not usually report all other heart-warming stories of these technical intern program, in particular, hosted by Japanese families in rural area. Having said that, it is true this petit immigration campaign has been causing too many problems, regardless, technical intern program or study in Japan program.

Japan should suspend this campaign now

I am surprised Japan did not go down to level 3 thanks to the many problems being reported about foreigners workers during the pandemic.

same here

I would be very interested in learning about those "significant efforts" the Japanese government is doing to solve the problem. Up until now meetings and discussions without any real change is the most I have seen.

My guess its just diplomatic talk aimed at not offending an ally. That's all. There has been NO effort by the J gov to do anything would be my guess

Japanese immigration system is been heavily criticised for numerous deaths of detainees.

I hate the US immigration system as well, but a death of a detainee in the US would have tremendous consequences if ever happens.

good point

Western Hypocrisy - The US should look in their own backyard before they criticize others. Why even pay attention to this doctrined garbage. Japan is so worried what other nations think of them and work so hard to be accepted. If you allow the west to dictate what you can and cannot do, you will always be seen as less than them. Dont play into their agenda.

@bokudaToday

I hate the US immigration system as well, but a death of a detainee in the US would have tremendous consequences if ever happens.

Not sure if that is true - 21 people died in ICE custody in 2020, almost three times as many as in 2019. I didn't see any tremendous consequences.

Expect more of "Freedom" coming to Japan.

Not sure if that is true - 21 people died in ICE custody in 2020, almost three times as many as in 2019. I didn't see any tremendous consequences.

Lots of immigration facilities were closed, law reforms done, and criminal indictments were served.

Every year there's more deaths in the Japanese ones, proportionally speaking. But no repercussions so far.

Life of an immigrant is cheaper in Japan.

It should be noted that the need for human trafficking in the US is somewhat mitigated by the way some US companies are allowed to treat the native population. Japan has its trainees who are paid notoriously badly, the US has companies that can get away with paying such low wages that US citizens live in conditions similar to a trafficked person even if they are not themselves trafficked.

I suppose the US gets into tier 1 by giving supermarket workers food stamps so that they can survive.

The Japanese government "does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking but is making significant efforts to do so," 

Not surprising. And what about Japan allowing the taking of children by a Japanese parent from a foreign parent? Same mindset in this country.

But Japanese authorities have to investigate and prosecute sex and labor trafficking cases more vigorously, and hold convicted traffickers accountable by imposing "strong" sentences, it said

This assumes Japan does investigate these cases.

Weird given that nowhere in this article or the report does it say, “The U.S. is better than everyone.” Sounds like sour grapes.

The document on the state department site is preceded by dozens of pages of who great the US thinks it is. And this report card is created by the US government.

I remember coming into KIX and noticing a Japanese make broker with two Thai females.

And any night district in Japan will have its share of Chinese and others prostituting themselves

It is all over…