Japan NAP 2025 update
Japan’s first WPS NAP was launched in 2015; the second NAP was for the period 2019-2022 and the current NAP is for 2023-2028.
Objectives of the Japanese NAP 2023-2028
The Security Council resolution 1325 four pillars require gender mainstreaming in all efforts:
(a) Participation: equal and full participation of women in all stages of conflict prevention and resolution, peace negotiations, peacekeeping, and peacebuilding;
(b) Prevention: prevention of conflict-related sexual violence, gender-based violence, and human rights violations;
(c) Protection: protection from conflict-related sexual and gender-based violence and human rights violations, and provide relief for such victims; and
(d) Relief and recovery: gender-sensitive humanitarian relief and recovery, reconstruction, and development assistance.
Based on our experience through the implementation of the First and Second Action Plans, Japan will continue to promote the WPS agenda in cooperation with the international community. More specifically, this NAP will:
(a) implement initiatives that contribute to the protection of human rights of women and girls, prevention of and response to sexual and gender-based violence, and women's empowerment in conflict-affected countries and fragile states due to conflicts or disasters;
(b) increase women's participation in conflict prevention, resolution, peace negotiations, peacekeeping, peace support activities, peacebuilding, disaster risk reduction, disaster mitigation, disaster recovery, and increase women's participation in decision-making bodies; and;
(c) make efforts to develop gender equal policy and promote women's empowerment in the reconstruction and development of conflict- and disaster-affected countries.
In these efforts, the NAP will not specify priority countries or priority items, but will broadly target conflict-affected countries and fragile states.
Commentary:
The difference between the Third Action Plan and the Second Action Plan is that the latter was structured around the pillars of Security Council resolution 1325 —Participation, Prevention, Protection, and Humanitarian and Reconstruction Assistance —while the former focused on individual efforts that span multiple pillars, rather than a single pillar. Therefore, the Third Action Plan was restructured based on specific initiatives rather than pillar by pillar. Secondly, the First and Second Action Plans contained detailed, specific measures and indicators. The first two action plans were concrete, whereas this was designed to be more flexible, allowing for a broader range of activities. Additionally, gender mainstreaming was further promoted, and the strengthening of the government’s implementing office's response capacity was explicitly specified as one of the initiatives, making a more visible linkage between the WPS agenda and domestic initiatives.
Civil society involvement in the development of the NAP:
In drafting the Third Action Plan, there was a review of the First and the Second Action Plan based on the opinions of the Evaluation Committee, which consisted of external experts. After preparing a rough draft based on the lessons learned from the First and the Second Action Plan, views were sought from several international NGOs individually to draft the first proposal. Subsequently, two meetings were held to exchange views with civil society, and after adopting as many opinions as possible, a governmental draft was prepared. It was submitted for public comments and went through various procedures within the government. After that, the Third Action Plan was developed.
UN Peacekeeping statistics:
As of March 31, 2025, Japan contributed 6 Peacekeeping personnel (of which 2 were female).
Japan's ranking as a contributor of personnel to UN peacekeeping missions: 100
Women in Peacekeeping:
The structure of the Third Action Plan is as follows:
- Promoting women's participation and a gender perspective in peacebuilding. In peace negotiations, peace agreements, peacekeeping and peace support activities, conflict prevention, and humanitarian, reconstruction, and development assistance in conflict affected and fragile states, we will promote efforts toward gender equality and women's empowerment, including efforts to eliminate discrimination and exclusion based on gender and intersectionality, and to promote women's participation in the decision-making process.
Additionally;
(b) Response to and prevention of sexual and gender-based violence in conflict. Strengthen awareness-raising and education to prevent sexual violence and gender based violence in conflict, strengthen the rule of law to protect victims and survivors and punish perpetrators, and enhance international cooperation to protect victims and survivors and help them become self-reliant and socially reintegrated. Promote all efforts based on a survivor-centered approach.
(c) Promotion of women's participation and gender mainstreaming in disaster risk reduction, disaster response, and climate change In disaster-affected and vulnerable countries, promote women's participation in decision-making processes related to disaster risk reduction, disaster response, and climate change, eliminate discrimination and exclusion based on gender and intersectionality in all cycles of disaster risk reduction, emergency relief, recovery and reconstruction, and implement international cooperation to promote the social and economic empowerment of women. In addition, efforts will be made to strengthen the capacity of responsible ministries and agencies on disaster risk reduction, disaster response and reconstruction assistance. Specifically, staff training on WPS and women's and girls' rights and protection will be strengthened. The proportion of women in central, regional, and municipal disaster management councils will be increased. Women's participation in other decision-making bodies will be promoted. Additionally, gender-sensitive disaster policies and measures will be developed and implemented.
(d) Efforts to promote WPS in Japan
① Promoting the WPS agenda in Policy Making. Promote women's participation in decision-making processes related to foreign and security policy, and gender mainstreaming in development assistance and security-related policies.
② Human resource development and enhance national capacity to realize WPS, the implementation of awareness-raising and education/training programs on WPS, women's human rights, and gender equality will be strengthened as part of human resource development in relevant ministries and agencies. A gender officer will be established in each department. In addition, we will promote efforts to strengthen inter ministerial cooperation.
③ Guarantee the human rights of foreign women in Japan and prevent violence against them. Through efforts by support-providing organizations (relevant ministries and agencies, civil society organizations, etc.), the human rights of foreign women, including displaced persons who have fled from conflicts, should be guaranteed, and violence against them should be prevented. In addition, promote awareness-raising and education to prevent all forms of violence against women and girls regardless of nationality, and strengthen efforts to protect the victims and survivors, to help them become self-reliant and socially reintegrated, and to punish and rehabilitate perpetrators, based on a survivor-centered approach.
References
Japanese 2023-2028 NAP
National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security Third Edition (2023-2028)
Contribution of Uniformed Personnel to UN by Country, Mission, and Personnel Type. (August 2024) available at: 03-Contributions by Country and Mission
