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Commission's Major Activities
infringement by the staff of a facility for disabled persons; staff violence and negligence at a
facility for disabled persons; forced labor at a facility for disabled persons; and infringement
against people with disabilities at a mental health rehabilitation center.
On-scene investigation
Paragraph 1 of Article 24 of the NHRC Act states that “The Commission may, if deemed
necessary, visit detention or protective facilities to conduct an investigation by its resolution.”
In 2017, the Commission carried out a total of nine on-scene investigations—an installation
confinement facility, a police jail, a correctional facility for women and girls, a foreigner shelter,
a welfare facility for the homeless, a senior care facility, two mental health care facilities, and
a children welfare facility. It made preventative relief efforts in areas particularly vulnerable
to human rights violations by recommending improvements to the relevant institutions and
notifying the investigation result to the facilities in question.
Investigator capacity building
The Commission organized training programs for new investigators to help them quickly
learn the job. It also helped investigators build their capacity at the investigator school. Both new
and experienced investigators took part in educational programs that covered the characteristics
of the Commission’s investigations, the role of investigators, investigation methodology and
techniques, and case study of complaints.
Human rights counseling
To ensure better accessibility to counseling, the Commission offered a variety of services,
including dedicated windows manned by counselors specialized in human rights; video
teleconference, chatting, and SNS counseling for persons with disabilities in schools and other
related organizations; counselors with sign language capability to assist the hearing impaired;
counseling reservation and English service for foreigners. It also organized 29 on-site counseling
sessions for socially vulnerable population groups, including persons with disabilities, people
living with Hansen’s disease, older persons, and children.