A new law is being tabled in the Japanese parliament which will, for the first time, prescribe prison sentences and allow prosecution of whistleblowers.
A wave of protest has risen against the proposed legislation, which seems to be moving through parliament too fast and unhindered. The law, of course, could curtail greatly not only freedom of speech, but also the ability to make government entities accountable.
Journalists and lawyers were the first to protest the law, but the citizens are equally wary.
The Japanese government is responding by saying that the existing law is insufficient and leaves many gaps that prevent Japan from sharing vital information with the United States. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has vowed to pass the law quickly.
The issue of course, is that the population fears that under this new law, all sort of activities could come under the umbrella of new definitions of secrecy, shielding both the government and the politicians from accountability.
Religious figures like Takao Takeda, a Buddhist monk, are raising the specter of pre-war Japan when a measure called Public Order Preservation Law was passed which allowed imperial Japan to jail anyone to dared speak against government actions, and resulted in the war and nuclear annihilation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
The law has a broad sweep: it covers defence, diplomacy, and counter-intelligence.
The Japanese have long complained of the opacity of their government. A further tightening of the screws, as it may, brings further doubts in their minds.
Some however see this as a reaction to Snowden's revelation of US secrets. Japan is very much aware of the damage a whistleblower could wreak on the Japanese government vis a vis its position in Asia.
Source : France 24/ 12.2.13
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