Japan Press Weekly

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2013 October 23 - 29 [POLITICS]

Abe gov’t finally submits secrets protection bill

In the midst of growing criticism and concern from people of various social strata, the Abe Cabinet on October 25 finally approved a “secrets protection bill” and submitted it to the current Diet session.

This immediately triggered public protests at many locations across the nation.

Braving the cold rain, about 80 citizens assembled in front of the prime minister’s office to protest against the Cabinet approval. The protest was urgently organized by a civil group opposing the secrets protection bill in various ways such as utilizing social networking websites.

The group pointed out that when they conducted a street survey earlier this week, only 5% of respondents supported the bill. The government should be aware that most of the public do not support the bill, the group said.

In Hiroshima City, a local anti-secrets protection bill group distributed to passersby leaflets calling on the public to fax to parliamentarians representing Hiroshima a petition urging them to oppose the bill.

A woman who received the leaflet said, “To keep government information secret from the public is undemocratic, which will lead to a society geared up and ready for war.”

The Japan Federation of Bar Associations, the Japan P.E.N. Club, and trade unions also issued statements in protest against the Cabinet approval to submit the bill.

Non-fiction writer Yoshioka Shinobu, representative director of the Japan P.E.N. Club, at a press conference pointed out that behind the bill lies a U.S. demand for the sharing of military information and strict control of such information. “More and more Liberal Democratic Party lawmakers have begun to espouse the nationalistic notion that it is unnecessary for the government to disclose state secrets to the public,” said the writer.

The Japan Federation of Aviation Workers’ Union in its protest statement stated that the bill would restrain movements opposing the military use of civil airlines and expressed its determination to have the bill scrapped.

The secrets protection bill will severely limit public access to a wide range of information regarding national security designated as secret by the government. It will impose harsh punishments not only on pubic workers who leak secret information but also on media workers and ordinary people who attempt to access such information.