Tag - state-secrets-bill

 
 

STATE SECRETS BILL

EDITORIALS
Dec 22, 2013
Abe's second strike against freedoms
On the heels of the enactment of the state secrets protection law, the Abe administration is preparing a bill that would criminalize the act of 'conspiracy' for the first time.
JAPAN / View from Osaka
Dec 14, 2013
State secrets bill shows Abe's tin ear for local politics
Former U.S. Speaker of the House Thomas "Tip" O'Neill, one of America's most influential politicians of the late 20th century, had some sage advice for those who thought about national or international politics. "All politics," O'Neill warned, "is local."
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 7, 2013
Passage of contentious secrets law ends extra Diet session
The extraordinary Diet session effectively closed Saturday morning after the House of Councilors enacted the state secrecy law despite raucous protests from the opposition camp.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 6, 2013
Diet enacts controversial state secrets bill
The Upper House passes the state secrets bill despite soaring opposition over the lack of an independent oversight body to check the government's decisions.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 6, 2013
Protests over secrets bill fiery at 11th hour
Citizens' groups continue to blast the state secrets bill with unabated vigor amid concerns that 'merely seeking secret information' could put journalists at risk.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 6, 2013
Japan's ruling bloc set to force state secrets bill to vote
The ruling bloc will put the controversial secrets bill to a vote in the Upper House on Friday, leaving a rift open with the opposition camp over the independent oversight system to ensure the public's right to know.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 5, 2013
Secrets bill clears panel by force
The Liberal Democratic Party-New Komeito ruling coalition was set to forcibly pass the contentious state secrecy bill into law as early as Thursday night, after it rammed the legislation through the Upper House Special Committee on National Security earlier on the day.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 5, 2013
Protesters voice alarm over state secrets bill
More than 1,200 protesters gathered outside the Diet building Thursday in a last-ditch effort to thwart the controversial state secrets bill, which the Diet is expected to pass Friday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 4, 2013
Opposition takes final swipe at bill
The ruling bloc and the opposition camp face off again over the contentious state secrets bill, even though it appears headed for passage by the Upper House before the Diet session ends Friday.
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 3, 2013
Fast-tracked secrecy bill riles opposition
The ruling coalition forces through a vote to hold a mandatory public hearing on the state secrets bill without giving opposition lawmakers a chance to speak.
JAPAN
Dec 3, 2013
Public protests continue against state secrets bill
With the contentious state secrets bill slated to clear the Upper House this week, citizens have been holding daily protests in front of the Diet building, denouncing the law as emblematic of the "rise of fascism."
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 3, 2013
U.N. human rights chief joins chorus urging secrecy law safeguards
The top U.N. human rights official urged Japan on Monday to heed public concerns raised at home and abroad over a bill to toughen penalties for leakers of state secrets.
EDITORIALS
Dec 2, 2013
The politics of secrets
Flip-flops in government explanations of the contentious bill for protecting state secrets — now under deliberation in the Upper House — suggest that the government itself does not have a clear idea of how it plans to prevent the arbitrary designation of information as a special secret.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Dec 2, 2013
Ishiba softens criticism of bill protesters
Liberal Democratic Party Secretary-General Shigeru Ishiba remains critical of public demonstrations despite retracting part of an earlier comment likening protesters to terrorists.
BUSINESS / JAPANESE PERSPECTIVES
Nov 30, 2013
The secret of keeping official secrets secret
"He that would keep a secret must keep it secret that he hath a secret to keep," says Sir Humphrey Appleby, permanent secretary to the Department of Administrative Affairs, a fictitious branch of the British government. He is one of the main characters in the highly acclaimed 1980s BBC television series "Yes Minister" and its equally phenomenal sequel, "Yes Prime Minister." Sir Humphrey's axiom would surely be readily shared by current real-life Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe as he bulldozes his bill for the protection of special official secrets through parliament.
Japan Times
JAPAN / DARK SIDE OF THE RISING SUN
Nov 30, 2013
Japan: The new Uzbekistan of press freedom in Asia
If you're living in Japan, you may be surprised to know that your right to know has been replaced by the right to remain silent. Shhh ... don't protest. It's practically a done deal.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 30, 2013
Skepticism engulfs secrecy bill
As Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's government rammed the controversial state secrecy bill through the Lower House last week, what seemed to become evident is that even his Cabinet ministers lack a coherent understanding of the content, breeding even more skepticism among the public.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 14, 2013
Ruling bloc may yield on state secrets bill
Eager to see its state secrecy bill passed by the Lower House next week, the ruling coalition is showing signs of giving ground on the controversial legislation.

Longform

High-end tourism is becoming more about the kinds of experiences that Japan's lesser-known places can provide.
Can Japan lure the jet-set class off the beaten path?