Japan Press Weekly

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2016 September 28 - October 4 [SOCIAL ISSUES]

Oita Pref. Assembly calls for prevention of secret filming of citizens by police

The Oita Prefectural Assembly on September 27 unanimously adopted a resolution calling for pursuit of truth and prevention of the recurrence of an incident such as when several police officers secretly videotaped citizens who supported a united opposition candidate in a national election.

The resolution criticizes the police for infringing on citizens’ right to freedom of thought and political activity.

It also demands that the Oita Prefectural Police and Public Safety Commission fulfill their accountability and conduct a thorough investigation into the case in order to restore citizens’ trust in the police.

Tsutsumi Eizo, a Japanese Communist Party member of the prefectural assembly, said, “It is significant that all of us in the assembly, irrespective of political parties, stood up when approving the resolution as a way to express our determination to take a tough stance against the illegal police act.”

The incident occurred just before the July House of Councilors election campaign started. Officers of Oita’s Beppu Police Station installed a video camera on the premises of a building and clandestinely recorded the people who came to and left the building where an organization supporting the opposition candidate was located.

Regarding this case, a growing number of municipal assemblies in the prefecture adopted a similar written statement.

Past related articles:
> National Police Agency approves secret videotaping of general public [August 31, 2016]
> JCP demands nationwide survey of illegal investigations by police [August 24, 2016]
> JCP protests against secret filming of people by Oita police [August 10, 2016]
> Police illegally monitors union activists [August 4, 2016]