Japan Press Weekly

Tweet

2013 December 11 - 17 [POLITICS]

Secrets law faces increasing number of protests from scholars

Despite the enactment of a state secrets protection law, more and more scholars are voicing their opposition to the law, a scholars’ protest group has announced.

The number of scholars who expressed their support for the group has reached 3,511 (as of December 10). The group was inaugurated by 31 scholars, including Nobel Prize recipients Shirakawa Hideki and Masukawa Toshihide, last month in protest against the government move to create the secrecy legislation.

The group on December 7 issued a statement condemning the forcible enactment of the law on the previous day.

The statement criticizes the law as threatening people’s basic human rights and endorsement of pacifism under the Japanese Constitution and endangering Japan’s post-war democracy most seriously. In the statement, scholars declared their determination to continue fighting against the secrecy legislation.

Gakushuin University professor Sato Manabu, one of the 31 inaugurators, pointed out that his group received support from individuals in various academic fields and said, “Each and every person’s voice has helped to make our movement united and strong.”