Japan Press Weekly

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2013 November 27 - December 3 [POLITICS]

JCP Nihi calls on Upper House members to throw out secrets bill

Japanese Communist Party Nihi Sohei, taking the floor at the House of Councilors plenary session on November 27, protested against the previous day’s forcible passage of a state secrets bill at the House of Representatives and called on all Upper House members to discard the bill.

Nihi alerted the Dietmembers of the dangers of the bill by saying, “Dietmembers would also be subject to punishment under this bill.”

He said, “We have different political positions, but we should be firm in the use of the power of the bureaucracy on behalf of the general public. Only by doing so can we be Dietmembers representing the public interest. The bill is incompatible with the Constitution. The ‘amendments’ in the Lower House did not reduce the bill’s dangerous aspects at all.”

Nihi stated that the Diet would deserve to be disbanded as the highest organ of state power if it goes ahead with enactment of the bill within the current session.

“The House of Councilors cannot allow this to happen,” he added.

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BBC News on November 26 reported, “The Japanese move has been welcomed by the US. But correspondents say it has also raised fears that Japan could be edging back toward its militaristic past, when free speech was severely restrained.”

The report added, “Some experts say that the new legislation eases the way for Mr Abe’s campaign to revise Japan’s US-drafted pacifist constitution.”

The Wall Street Journal, Asia (online version) also reported, “Not surprisingly, media watchdogs, including foreign journalists, have spoken out against the bill and its implications for restricting press freedom.”