On paper, the Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (TOCOG) has made strong commitments to embedding human rights norms throughout all stages of Tokyo 2020’s implementation.  However environmental and human rights complaints are already being levelled at companies involved in the construction of Olympic infrastructure, regarding their timber supply chains.  Between Japan’s weak rules on importing illegal timber, the Sourcing Code on Timber and an opaque Grievance Mechanism system proposal, it is suggested that violations will continue. The BWI believes an independent supply chain investigation would be valuable for TOCOG to address alleged labour rights violations raised by the Timber Industry Employees Union of Sarawak (TIEUS) and prevent further controversy.

A BWI affiliated union (TIEUS) has made credible allegations of workers’ rights violations regarding a Sarawak-based timber company (Shin Yang) that is supplying timber for the construction of the New National Stadium for Tokyo 2020. Certification audits have proved insufficient to have the matter remedied, however the fact that other alleged labour violations with Shin Yang have recently come to light means there is ongoing cause for ongoing concern.