Ominous sign over Japan's democracy -- Akahata 'Current' column, March 5Philosopher Seneca of ancient Rome said, "He's a slave, but he may have the spirit of a free man."
You may not always know what others are thinking. The freedom of conscience is said to be "the last proof" of being a man. Article 19 of the Japanese Constitution provides that "freedom of thought and conscience shall not be violated." It's probably the one condition that allows a person to live as a human being.
It's normal for a person to want to tell others what he or she thinks. This is not an era of slavery and "the freedom of assembly and association as well as speech, press, and all other forms of expression" is constitutionally guaranteed in Article 21. I spoke of the Constitution because an incredible violation of the Constitution has occurred.
The Public Safety Division of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department arrested an employee of the Social Insurance Agency for having distributed Japanese Communist Party flyers during the November 2003 general election. Yes, only because he distributed flyers in his neighborhood on Sundays and holidays as a citizen and not as a government employee.
If such an arrest goes uncontested, government employees won't be able to even talk to their neighbors. The Public Safety Division announced when and where the man was distributing flyers. Agents had kept tailing and watching him. They argued that he had violated Article 102 of the National Public Service Law prohibiting government employees from taking part in "political activities". Court decisions, however, have repeatedly ruled that this provision is unconstitutional so it has never been enforced.
It's also strange that they arrested the man nearly four months after the election. It's no exaggeration to say that we feel uneasy about freedom and democracy in Japan. The Special Political Police was dismantled after the end of WWII and replaced with security police. We must stop any moves to restore the Special Political Police. (end)