30.In the 2016 report of the Secretary-General (see A/HRC/33/19, para. 25), reference was made to an urgent appeal to the Government by three special procedures mandate holders on 30 May 2016 alleging the monitoring and surveillance of Ms. Kazuko Ito, of non-governmental organisation Human Rights Now. Ms Ito had facilitated and organised meetings for Mr. David Kaye, the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, with representatives of civil society during his visit to Japan in April 2016 (see A/HRC/34/52/Add. 1, paras. 399 and 400; JPN 4/2016). These allegations stemmed from a magazine that reported information obtained through a leaked memo allegedly produced by Japanese intelligence agency members ordering the surveillance of Ms. Ito’s movements ahead of the Special Rapporteur’s visit to Japan. They expressed concern that the allegations of surveillance of Ms. Ito could be an act of intimidation and reprisal for her cooperation with the United Nations.Human Rights Now has been cooperating with the United Nations mechanisms since 2013, including the universal periodic review and the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW). 31.The 2017 report noted the Government’s response of 16 June 2016 that, the allegations were investigated by the Public Security Intelligence Agency and the National Police Agency, who each confirmed that they “had neither received such instructions nor conducted such research activities as were reported by the media” (see A/HRC/36/31, Annex, para. 5). 32.In May 2018 it was reported that Ms. Ito and Human Rights Now continue to be targeted due to their cooperation with the United Nations.On 9 March 2018, during a videotaped session of the House of Representatives Committee on Cabinet, a member of the Diet and Liberal Democratic Party addressed government representatives where she characterized Human Rights Now as “(a)n organization that makes use of the United Nations and other [international forums] to spread around the world the fabricated information that the “comfort women” of the Japanese army were sex slaves, and does that with lots of enthusiasm; that’s what Human Rights Now is.”Human Rights Now had organised a side event on “comfort women” at the Commission on the Status of Women.The Diet member also reportedly requested the Diet to “control NGOs’ international forms of speech” in their collaborative activities with the United Nations and said, “it is obvious that there are people trying to use propaganda to discredit Japan,” which was reiterated on social media.Human Rights Now sent two letters to the Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Cabinet and to the Liberal Democratic Party on 27 March 2018 regarding these allegations. The Government of Japan responded on 15 August 2018 that “it asked both the Liberal Democratic Party and the Secretariat of the House of Representatives about the letters mentioned. The Liberal Democratic Party replied that it cannot confirm if it received the letter because it has no information on which department of the Party the letter was addressed to. The Secretariat of the House of Representatives replied that the chairman has not responded to the letter from that organization.”

5.In the report on cooperation with the United Nations, its representatives and mechanisms in the field of human rights (A/HRC/33/19, para.25), reference was made to allegations of reprisals against Kazuko Ito. The Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, in his report on observations on communications, referred to the substantive response of the Government of Japan to the communication dated 30 May 2016 regarding allegations of surveillance of Ms. Ito, who had facilitated and organised meetings of the Special Rapporteur on freedom of opinion and expression with representatives of civil society during his official country visit to Japan in April 2016 (see A/HRC/34/52/Add.1, paras.399 and 400). These allegations stemmed from a magazine that reported information received through a leaked memo, allegedly produced by Japanese intelligence agency members, ordering the surveillance of Ms. Ito’s movements ahead of the Special Rapporteur’s visit to Japan. According to the Government’s response, following Ms. Ito’s inquiry and the communication sent from special procedures, the allegations were investigated and both the Public Security Intelligence Agency (PSIA) and the National Police Agency confirmed that they “had neither received such instructions nor conducted such research activities as were reported by the media.”