Japan Press Weekly

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2013 November 20 - 26 [JCP]

JCP discusses secrets bill with Japan’s legal experts

The Japanese Communist Party leadership on November 20 met with its counterparts from the Japan Federation of Bar Associations (JFBA)’s political league in Tokyo and agreed upon mutual cooperation in the effort to oppose a state secrets protection bill.

Regarding a warning by the JFBA against the bill since the early stage, JCP Chair Shii Kazuo said, “That was really reassuring. We’d like to pay our deepest respects for your stand.”

Conspiracy and wiretapping in association with the bill would infringe on human rights in various forms, JFBA President Yamagishi Kenji pointed out and added, “But, we’ll strengthen our efforts to stop it by using our legal expertise.”

Shii reported on the Diet proceedings in regard to the bill, which the ruling parties and some opposition parties are trying to bulldoze through the bill with what they call “amendments to the bill” without taking into consideration the right to freedom of people’s access to information, people’s sovereignty, and the principle of the rule of law.

JFBA Vice President Sano Yoshifusa stressed, “It’s not that the bill could become acceptable with some ‘amendments’. We insist on the need for the bill to be withdrawn.”

Shii stated, “The JCP will also do its utmost to scrap the bill,” while citing that 70-80% of people in all opinion polls want thorough discussions of the bill.

Sano and Hirayama Seigo of the JFBA political league expressed their expectation that the JCP will continue working hard in the Diet until the bill is discarded.

The meeting was hosted by the JFBA political league with JFBA President Yamagishi and all 13 Vice Presidents, JCP Chair Shii, JCP Secretariat Head Ichida Tadayoshi and its 14 Dietmembers attending.