January 15, 2016
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2017 January 11 - 17 [POLITICS]
Gov’t explanation on anti-conspiracy bill resembles prewar explanation on similar law |
The notorious law came into force in May 1925. Prior to the law’s enforcement, the then Tokyo Asahi Shimbun reported on the following account given by Tokyo police authorities at the time, “Many workers and intellectuals seem to be taking this bill too seriously and negatively, but this is only the last resort so we will not use this weapon so often.”
The article also presented the police explanation, “There is no need for the general public to worry. The present social movements will not be oppressed by this law.”
The newspaper dated the same day also reported on what the chief of the then Home Ministry Police Affairs Bureau said, “We are trying to not offend those involved in labor movements or social movements.”
However, the imperial government deceived the public in order to put the law into practice and began expanding the scope of its suppression of not only the Communist Party but also labor movements, peasant movements, various cultural activities, gatherings of religious figures, educational practices including spelling classes, and many other areas of people’s lives.
As a result, hundreds of thousands of people were arrested and 75,000 people were sent to prosecutors for violating the Public Order Maintenance Law, and at least 1,682 people were killed.
Present Chief Cabinet Secretary Suga Yoshihide on January 6 said to the press, “The bill this time is totally different from previous conspiracy bills. It will be impossible for the general public to be subject to it.” However, history shows us how this argument can be used as a deception in order to gain acceptance of the bill.
Past related articles:
> Japan bar association: gov’t should not move ahead with ‘crime of conspiracy’ bill [September 2, 2016]
> Gov’t again considers presenting renamed conspiracy bill [August 27, 2016]
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