(31.5.2016) “Business and governments both have a role to play,” she said. “We call on Japan to enact laws . . . to ensure that companies and other organizations are held to account for their role in using forced labor in their supply chains, and to empower independent oversight.”

The report’s estimate of 45.8 million slaves worldwide is a rise of nearly 30 percent from a similar survey two years ago. The leap was attributed to better data collection.