OYAMA, Shizuoka Pref. -- The head of the Japan Federation of Economic Organizations (Keidanren) on Thursday expressed support for almost all politically sensitive bills sent to the Diet for deliberation -- including one to legally adopt the de facto national flag and anthem and another to allow police wiretapping.
Keidanren Chairman Takashi Imai also lent his backing to a controversial bill that would assign a 10-digit code to every Japanese for residency registration. The plan has been criticized by many observers who fear it could violate privacy by allowing the government to control information about individuals.
"The resident registration bill and communication interception bill, which have been (considered) taboo, are absolutely necessary for the safety of the nation," he said.
While bills concerning new defense guidelines for Japan-U.S. security cooperation were cleared by the Diet, further wartime legislation should be established in case the nation is attacked, Imai said.
"I'm not hawkish at all, but I think it's very good that things like these are steadily being prepared as we approach the 21st century," he said.
Imai made the remarks during a session of the two-day Keidanren seminar, where 30 influential corporate executives gathered to discuss a variety of political and economic issues.
Norio Oga, chairman of Sony Corp., also criticized Japan's defense as insufficient, saying the Self-Defense Forces have no experience in battle and the government has "no philosophy" on national security.
"(The government) has been merely throwing money around to buy a certain number of ships or fighters," Oga said, calling the SDF "a paper tiger."