(Tokyo) – Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi should urge Vietnamese President To Lam to make concrete progress on human rights during his official visit to Japan from November 8 to 11, 2026, Human Rights Watch said today.

Human Rights Watch wrote to Prime Minister Takaichi expressing concerns about Vietnam’s intensifying crackdown on human rights . The repression violates obligations that Vietnam accepted under the 2018 Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, to which Vietnam and Japan are parties.

“The Vietnamese government has broken its pledges for reform and continues to crack down on basic freedoms,” said Kanae Doi , Japan director at Human Rights Watch. “Prime Minister Takaichi should communicate clearly and publicly to President To Lam Japan’s serious concerns about human rights and labor rights violations.”

The Vietnamese government has sharply intensified its repression of basic freedoms over the past decade, Human Rights Watch said.…