Japan Press Weekly

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2013 December 4 - 10 [CIVIL RIGHTS]

UN human rights chief voices fear over Japan’s secret protection bill

The United Nations’ top human rights official on December 2 at a press conference in Geneva voiced her deep concern over Japan’s secrets protection bill.

UN High Commission for Human Rights Navi Pillay said with great concern that the Japanese government should not “rush through the bill without first putting proper safeguards for the rights to access information and freedom of expression as guaranteed in Japan’s Constitution and international human rights law.” She also urged Tokyo to “hear national and international concerns.”

On the following day, six organizations in Japan, including international human rights NGOs, at a joint press conference in Tokyo pointed out that the government-sponsored state secrets protection bill marks a substantial deviation from international standards and principles pertaining to the protection of human rights. They called on the government to not pass the bill without thorough Diet discussions.

The six organizations are Amnesty International Japan, Human Rights Watch, Human Rights Now, the International Movement Against All Forms of Discrimination and Racism-Japan Committee, Japan Civil Liberties Union, and the Japan Federation of Bar Associations.

Past related article:
> UN human rights experts criticize Japan’s secrecy bill [November 24,2013]