The Japanese Communist Party has made public copies of two documents it says were prepared by the Ground Self-Defense Force's information security units during a period when grassroots opposition to the dispatch of the GSDF unit to Iraq was strong. The documents are said to show detailed surveillance of citizens, politicians, journalists, and civic and religious groups.
Since defense officials have not issued a clear denial of their existence, the 166-page documents appear to be authentic. The Diet should press the government over the constitutionality of the GSDF's compiling detailed reports on citizens' activities.
The first document, attributed to the Northeastern District Army's information security unit, covers January and February 2004; the second, attributed to the GSDF's information security headquarters, covers November 2003 through February 2004. They list the names of 289 individuals, including local assembly members, and groups in 41 prefectures involved in events opposing the GSDF dispatch to Iraq.