Last month the government published an outline of draft legislation aimed at protecting the lives and property of Japanese people during a military attack from abroad. Such legislation could also apply in the event of a large-scale terrorist attack. The Diet will discuss the draft during the next regular session, which opens in January.
The outline, while stating "respect for the fundamental human rights" guaranteed by the Constitution, says private rights should be restricted during a national security emergency. The question is how to balance public interests and private rights in such a situation.
The proposed legislation would complement the military contingency package that took effect in June. As such, it should have been established earlier as an integral part of that package.