Japan Press Weekly

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2013 November 6 - 12 [POLITICS]

Start of discussion on proposed state secrets protection bill provokes nationwide protest

On November 7, in protest against the start of discussions on a controversial state secrets protection bill at the House of Representatives plenary session, people took to the streets at various locations across the nation to increase public support for the scrapping of the bill.

In Tokyo, unions, women’s groups, and civil groups gathered throughout the day near the Diet building and the prime minister’s office to voice their protest against the proposed bill.

Japanese Communist Party Chair Shii Kazuo attended a rally held during the lunch break in front of the Lower House Members’ Office Building.

Shii gave a speech in solidarity and pointed out that the majority of people oppose the bill. “Let’s push the government to abandon the bill,” he said to participants.

In the rally, activists from various groups and individuals in turn expressed their determination.

Lawyer Namiki Yosuke pointed out that if a person is accused of violating a secrets protection law, no information about that person’s crime would be provided to his/her counsel. “Lawyers wouldn’t be able to defend that accused person in court. We have to scrap the bill,” he stressed.

A representative of the National Federation of Merchant and Industrialist’s Organization (Zenshoren) said, “I oppose the bill because it will create a society in which subcontractors in industries related to national defense and using state-of-the-art technologies will fear that if they happen to access information designated as secrets they could be charged of crimes.”

In other prefectures, including Fukushima, Kanagawa, and Osaka, unionists and citizens staged protests.

In Fukushima, members of a local Japanese Communist Party organization, unionists, and peace activists in front of Fukushima Station held a street campaign to collect signatures in support of a petition opposing the bill.

Citing the possibility that the bill, if enacted, will classify nuclear power plant-related information as secret, they appealed to passersby for the need to increase movements within the prefecture where many people are experiencing hardships caused by the ongoing nuclear disaster.

In the House of Representatives plenary session, JCP representative Kokuta Keiji took the floor to oppose the bill. He criticized the bill for “denying the basic principles of the Japanese Constitution including basic human rights, the people’s sovereignty, and pacifism.”