Mitsubishi
Lacks transparency. Publishes some details, but doesn't show its workers are paid and treated fairly.
Last researched 2 November 2026 · 14 sources
Japanese carmaker selling the Outlander SUV, Triton ute and plug-in hybrids.
Mitsubishi's supply chain was linked to forced labour in 2022, and there's no proof it pays more than the legal minimum, which in Thailand is below a living wage.
Know something we've missed? Send evidence. Represent Mitsubishi? Send a right of reply.
Compare Mitsubishi with another brand
Why it's graded Lacks transparency
- Not met: Meets 1 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It has 4 red flags: no evidence of a living wage, unaudited production in high-risk countries, forced or child labour and battery metals and aluminium it can't trace to the mine or smelter. Two or more red flags means a poor grade.
- It isn't Harm on record: the most serious problem on its record (forced labour link, last recorded in 2022) was a link through a supplier, not a finding against the company itself.
- Lacks transparency is still a poor grade: in supply chains like this, workers who can't be seen to be treated fairly are usually underpaid or unprotected.
Good requirements 1 of 6
- Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: no evidence
- Not met: Respects worker rightsSome of its products are made in Thailand, where unions are heavily restricted, and it has no full supply chain audit.
- Not met: Supply chain independently audited or certified, or at least 80% made in countries with strong labour standards
- Not met: No child or forced labour findings or links
- Met: Names the factories or farms that make its products, or is fully certified by a scheme that holds and audits that listMakes its products in its own factories
- Not met: Traces its battery metals to the mine and its aluminium to smelters outside Xinjiang
Red flags 4
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wageShown to explain the grade. It isn't one of the 2 red flags that set it.
- Red flag: Made partly in countries with poor worker rights, without a full independent audit of its supply chain
- Red flag: Forced, slave or child labour found in or linked to its supply chain
- Red flag: Relies on battery metals and aluminium it can't trace to the mine or smelterShown to explain the grade. It isn't one of the 2 red flags that set it.
- Red flag: Fails its category's raw-material check (means Lacks transparency)
Stars it would earn as Good
None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Where it's made
From Mitsubishi's own disclosure: it makes its products in its own factories.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Japan | Strong protections | Close to a living wage | Low |
| Thailand | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| France | Regular violations | About a living wage | Low |
Evidence
What we found
- Risk across the industry, not a finding about this company: battery metals, aluminium and steel link carmakers to state-imposed forced labour in Xinjiang, child and forced labour in DR Congo's cobalt mines and deadly nickel smelters in Indonesia; aluminium auto parts and lithium-ion batteries from China are on the US forced labour list.
- Owns or runs its own production
- Modern slavery statement
- Relies on battery metals such as cobalt and nickel from mines and smelters where workers, including children, face deadly collapses and explosions, and on aluminium that may come from Xinjiang, where the state forces Uyghur workers into mines and smelters that audits can't reach. It hasn't shown any steps to trace its battery metals to the mine or its aluminium to the smelter, so it's graded Lacks transparency until it does.
Research notes Mitsubishi Motors Australia says its vehicles are made in Japan, Thailand and France by its parent and Mitsubishi Motors Thailand, with parts mainly from Japan, Thailand and China; the Outlander comes from Okazaki, Japan and the Triton ute from Thailand, but no shares are given. Mitsubishi builds most of them in its own plants in Japan and Thailand. In a March 2026 survey reply it said it has no mineral-specific sourcing policy, no direct contracts with mines or processors and only trial-stage nickel due diligence, and it isn't an IRMA member or known to publish a smelter list or trace its battery metals or aluminium. It joined the JaCER grievance mechanism in April 2025.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| News reporting and NGO investigations | Listed | Amnesty International's Recharge for Rights ranking (October 2024, the only edition) scored Mitsubishi 13 out of 90 on battery supply chain human rights due diligence, second-lowest of 13 electric car makers, saying its commitments are vague with little evidence of action. View |
| Lead the Charge auto supply chain leaderboard | Not listed | Not scored in the Lead the Charge 2026 auto supply chain leaderboard, which rates 18 carmakers. View |
| Australian Modern Slavery Register | Listed | Mitsubishi Motors Australia lodges its own modern slavery statement (2022/23 statement seen); it describes supplier questionnaires and contract terms, acknowledges higher risk in metals and in parts from China and South East Asia, and gives no audit results. View |
| US Department of Labor goods lists | Listed | The US Department of Labor's 2024 list names aluminium from China and the auto parts made with it as produced with forced labour; Mitsubishi Motors Australia says its parts come mainly from Japan, Thailand and China. View |
| US forced-labour import bans (UFLPA Entity List, CBP Withhold Release Orders) | Not listed | Mitsubishi Motors is not on the UFLPA Entity List (October 2026). View |
| Business & Human Rights Resource Centre | Problem found | Records Mitsubishi Motors' general reply to the Sheffield Hallam report on Uyghur forced labour in car supply chains (2023) and the 2024 report on migrant workers at Taiwanese suppliers to Toyota, Honda, Mitsubishi and Nissan. View |
Confirmed issues 1
Only confirmed problems are listed, and old ones drop off after 10 to 15 years. A problem the company has fully put right no longer counts against it, and nor does one it finds and is fixing itself. How problems are counted
| Last recorded | What happened | Made amends? |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Link through a supplierSheffield Hallam University and NomoGaia's Driving Force report traced supply chains from companies involved in Uyghur forced labour in steel, aluminium and copper to major car brands, including Mitsubishi Motors (Sheffield Hallam University, 2022). Source · archived copy | Not knownMitsubishi Motors replied that its suppliers have agreed to its Supplier CSR Guidelines but did not address the specific links or describe any investigation. |
Unconfirmed reports
Credible reports that haven't been confirmed by a regulator, completed investigation or the company. They're shown for your information and don't affect the grade.
- A 2024 investigation by journalist Peter Bengtsen found migrant workers at Taiwanese parts maker Lioho Machine Works, which makes parts for Mitsubishi vehicles, paid recruitment fees of up to about 730,000 yen and remained in debt; Mitsubishi Motors said it was addressing the issue through its Taiwanese partner (Toyo Keizai, 2024). Source
Sources and actions
Sources 14
Show all 14 sources
- Questionnaire on human rights due diligence in the nickel supply chain: Mitsubishi Motors reply (March 2026) · search the archive · No mineral-specific procurement policy; no direct contracts with mines; nickel due diligence at trial stage; JaCER since April 2025
- Human rights ranking of the electric vehicle industry (Amnesty International, 2024) · search the archive · Mitsubishi's commitments vague with little evidence of meaningful action
- Scorecards 2026 (Lead the Charge) · search the archive · Mitsubishi is not among the 18 carmakers scored
- Report traces supply chain from companies involved in Uyghur abuses to major car brands (Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, 2023) · archived copy · Sheffield Hallam and NomoGaia's Driving Force report; Mitsubishi Motors responded
- Mitsubishi Motors' response (Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, 2023) · search the archive · General reply citing its Supplier CSR Guidelines; no investigation described
- Migrant workers at suppliers to Toyota, Honda, Mitsubishi and Nissan in Taiwan at risk of forced labour (Business & Human Rights Resource Centre, 2024) · search the archive · BHRRC record of the Taiwan investigation
- IRMA members and partners · search the archive · Mitsubishi is not an IRMA member
- Mitsubishi Motors Australia modern slavery statement 2022/23 (Australian Modern Slavery Register) · search the archive · Vehicles made in Japan, Thailand and France; parts mainly from Japan, Thailand and China; supplier questionnaires and contract terms; no audit figures
- List of Goods Produced by Child Labor or Forced Labor (US Department of Labor, 2024) · search the archive · Aluminium from China and auto parts made with it
- UFLPA Entity List (US Department of Homeland Security) · search the archive · Mitsubishi Motors is not listed
- Where Australia's top 10 cars are made (CarExpert, March 2025) · search the archive · Outlander built at Okazaki, Aichi, Japan
- The most popular new cars in Australia by country of origin (Chasing Cars, August 2025) · search the archive · Outlander from Japan; Triton from Thailand
- Amnesty: BYD scores worst on human rights in EV makers ranking (NewMobility, 2024) · search the archive · Mitsubishi 13/90
- Allegations of forced labor at Japanese auto parts supplier in Taiwan (Toyo Keizai, 2024) · search the archive · Lioho Machine Works makes parts for Mitsubishi vehicles; Mitsubishi's response
Company details
- Owned by
- Mitsubishi Motors Corporation
- Headquarters
- Japan
- Last researched
- 2 November 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Mitsubishi ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/mitsubishi-motors, last researched 2 November 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Lacks transparency means
Other utes and 4wds brands
Nothing we've rated in utes and 4wds is better than Lacks transparency yet.
Something missing or wrong?
Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Mitsubishi.