Japan Press Weekly

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2016 August 24 - 30 [POLITICS]

Gov’t again considers presenting renamed conspiracy bill

Akahata on August 26 learned that the government drafted a revised anti-conspiracy bill by changing the previous bill’s name in order to criminalize even conversations or agreements about committing “crimes” without any illegal act actually being conducted.

A similar bill has been scrapped three times before after coming under strong public criticism. Despite this, the government is again considering presenting the crime of conspiracy bill to an extraordinary Diet session in September, generating concern about possible oppression of personal rights of the general public.

Intending to highlight “counterterrorism”, the bill was renamed from the previous “organized crime punishment law” to the “law against terrorism and organized criminal preparations”.

All three bills dropped before targeted “organizations” and provoked fierce backlash from trade unions and citizens’ groups. Taking into account its past “failure”, the government this time renamed the bill. However, the new bill still uses an extremely ambiguous definition of organized crimes and crime preparations. The bill may encourage abuse of police authority to crack down on citizens because it leaves a lot of room for law enforcement officers to stretch the law to investigate. Furthermore, the bill, together with the so-called wiretapping law, may help to enable a closer watch on the general public.

Lawyer Tanaka Takashi of the Japan Lawyers Association for Freedom (JLAF) told Akahata that the bill on conspiracy charges comes in combination with the expanded wiretapping law and the State Secrecy Act. All provide a mechanism for the state authorities to intervene in people’s daily lives as prelude to constitutional revisions, Tanaka warned.

The government has so far explained that the purpose of the bill is counterterrorism and not to monitor people in general, but Tanaka pointed out the possibility that the Abe Cabinet could apply the anti-conspiracy legislation to the opposition parties’ joint struggles, civic movements, and demonstrations outside the Prime Minister’s Office.

Past related articles:
> Expansion of police wiretapping is unconstitutional: JCP Nihi [August 22, 2015]
> Footsteps of war always come with secrecy, surveillance, and informants[February 16, 2015]
> Anti-conspiracy law will allow emergence of increase in police surveillance [December 15, 2013]
> State secrets law closely resembles 1941 national defense security law [December 1, 2013]