Human Rights Watch Urges Japan to Confront Vietnam Over Repression

Human Rights Watch is urging Sanae Takaichi, the Prime Minister of Japan, to confront Vietnamese President To Lam regarding human rights and labor rights violations during his official visit to Japan from November 8 to 11, 2026.

The organization claims the Vietnamese government has broken reform pledges made under the 2018 Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, specifically failing to uphold the right to collective bargaining and freedom of association. Human Rights Watch notes that President To Lam previously led the national police force as minister of public security from 2016 to 2024, a tenure marked by the imprisonment of over 160 political prisoners and a crackdown on civil society.

Kanae Doi, the Japan Director at Human Rights Watch, argues that Japan is uniquely positioned to pressure Vietnam to end its repression because it serves as a major donor of development assistance and a top trade partner. The group demands that Japan stop giving Vietnam a free pass on repression and communicate serious concerns about labor rights violations publicly and clearly.