Japan Press Weekly

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2013 November 13 - 19 [WOMEN]

Well-known women figures call for killing of state secrets bill

Female public figures from various quarters held a news conference on November 15, calling for the scrapping of the state secrets protection bill currently under Diet discussion. Japanese Communist Party member of the House of Councilors Tamura Tomoko attended the conference.

Ogiwara Hiroko, a business journalist, criticized the bill for enabling the state to cover up inconvenient matters. Referring to the Abe Cabinet’s recent move to allow Japan to exercise the right to collective self-defense, she expressed concern over the nation’s future.

Author Amamiya Karin stressed, “Under such a law, we will be unable to know what kind of matters will be designated as ‘special secrets’ and this will threaten the public with the danger of being arrested at any time. It will cause most people to live in fear.”

JCP parliamentarian Tamura said, “Let’s step up our efforts across party lines to discard the bill.”

Many other representatives of women’s organizations also attended the press conference: the Japan Federation of Bar Associations (JFBA); the international NGO Human Rights Watch; the popular idol group, “Seifuku Kojo Iinkai”; and political parties such as the Social Democratic, Democratic, and People’s Life parties.

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JCP Chair Shii Kazuo said at a press conference on November 15 that opposition parties need to unite to stop the secrets protection bill from becoming law.

He replied to a question from reporters in the Diet building regarding the fact that the ruling camp is having talks with the right-wing opposition Japan Restoration Party and the Your Party over modifying the draft law.

Shii pointed out that those parties have no intention of changing the bill’s essence which gives cabinet ministers a free hand to classify state information as well as impose harsh punishment on those who leak specified information or try to get access to it. “Opposition parties should work together to block the passage of the bill,” he stressed.