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May 06, 2024
 

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SECRETS

Japan Times
JAPAN / KANSAI PERSPECTIVE
Nov 24, 2013
Secrets bill raises fears among nuclear foes
In late 2005, U.S. government officials, invited by Japan, observed a counterterrorism drill at the Mihama nuclear plant in Fukui Prefecture and came away worried about the security situation at the complex.
JAPAN
Nov 20, 2013
Group makes no secret of opposition to bill
In the face of moves to amend the postwar Constitution, about 500 people gathered in Tokyo on Saturday to promote the importance of maintaining its pacifistic ideals.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 19, 2013
Ruling bloc may yield a bit on state secrets bill
The Liberal Democratic Party-New Komeito ruling bloc is wooing the opposition camp this week to reach common ground on the contentious state secrets bill that the administration hopes the Lower House passed by Friday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 17, 2013
Secrecy law would bolster U.S. ties but press needs key role: Nye
A secrecy law would benefit U.S.-Japan security cooperation but must respect the important role played by a free press, a U.S. expert warns.
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.
EDITORIALS
Nov 8, 2013
NSC and secrecy bills pose dangers
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's policy of 'proactive pacifism' must be stopped before it destroys the Constitution's war-renouncing principle and Japan's traditional defense-only posture.
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 4, 2013
New secrecy law seen best serving bureaucrats
The secrecy bill is dangerous because Japan already has a lot of nondisclosable information and several laws to protect it, the head of an NPO warns.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Nov 4, 2013
U.S. model not seen serving Japan's bid to keep its secrets
As Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's government pushes for a controversial new state secrets law, critics warn that the public's right to know will be greatly stifled because the bill, recently approved by the Cabinet, targets leakers of information the state deems critical to defense, diplomacy, terrorism and espionage.
JAPAN
Oct 27, 2013
Half of public opposes secrecy protection bill: poll
A government bill aimed at toughening penalties for leaking state secrets is opposed by 50.6 percent of the public, a survey says.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 24, 2013
Cabinet to OK state secrets bill
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Cabinet is set to approve a controversial bill to protect state secrets that stops short of fully guaranteeing the public's right to know and freedom of the press.
EDITORIALS
Oct 24, 2013
Mr. Abe's undemocratic secrecy bill
An Abe administration-sponsored bill to protect national security 'secrets' will undermine freedom of the press and people's right to know. Diet members should oppose it.
JAPAN / Politics
Oct 22, 2013
Japan moves toward adopting tougher penalties for leakers
The Abe administration wants a tougher secrecy law that imposes a prison term of up to 10 years on leakers of "special secrets" concerning foreign and national policy, in line with its plan to create a Japanese version of the U.S. National Security Council. After Tuesday's agreement between Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner, New Komeito, the Cabinet will approve the bill Friday. It is then expected to sail through the Diet during the ongoing session that will run until Dec. 6. Abe told the Diet on Monday that confidentiality is "a prerequisite" for sharing intelligence with other countries and it is important to have the tougher secrecy law "to make full use of the NSC." The Diet is deliberating another bill to create the NSC, which will be designed to gather information and speed up decisions on foreign and national policy under the leadership of the prime minister's office. Initially, the bill to toughen the secrecy law did not refer to the public's right to know or freedom of the press. At the request of New Komeito, the administration decided to include provisions addressing these issues. Concerns remain, however, among experts that the legislation could discourage civil servants from talking to journalists and would infringe on citizens' right to information. They also argue that the law will make it easier for the government to withhold information by labeling it a "special secret." "Special secrets" are defined in the bill as information that any administrative agency chief would designate as affecting national security if leaked. Special secrets would keep that designation for up to 30 years, and the duration could be extended if approved by the Cabinet. The move toward about such legislation gained momentum after a Japan Coast Guard official posted a video online showing a collision in 2010 between two patrol ships and a Chinese fishing boat near the Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea. Despite mounting public pressure, the government was reluctant to release the video in view of the possible repercussions on Japan's ties with China, which had been strained by the incident.The ruling coalition approved a bill Tuesday to toughen penalties for anyone who leaks government secrets and in doing so harms national security.
COMMENTARY / COUNTERPOINT
Oct 5, 2013
Abe promotes secrecy, sidelining transparency and open government
Norika Fujiwara, a TV celebrity who serves as goodwill ambassador for the Japanese Red Cross, recently caused a media sensation when she came out against the government's proposed secrecy legislation, saying it would adversely affect citizens.
EDITORIALS
Sep 25, 2013
Drop antidemocratic secrecy bill
A proposed bill aimed at protecting state secrets that the government deems vital to national security would strongly limit people's access to relevant information.
JAPAN / Politics
Jul 28, 2013
Tough penalties eyed for leaking state secrets
The government is planning to submit a bill during the extraordinary Diet session this fall to mandate severe penalties for civil servants who leak national secrets, government sources said.
Japan says Biden's description of nation as xenophobic is 'unfortunate'
The National Diet building in Tokyo
As visitors surge, Japan seeks ways to make tourism eco-friendly
Much like other hot spots across Okinawa, Onna has diligently strived to captivate both domestic and international tourists, while at the same time grappling with the environmental strain induced by the influx of visitors.
G7 eyes plan on U.S.-led $50 billion aid package for Ukraine
A local resident visits the Lychakiv cemetery in Lviv, Ukraine, on Thursday. The U.S. is in talks with close partners to lead a group of allies that would give as much as $50 billion in aid to Ukraine.
Japan drops to 70th in press freedom rankings
A businessman reads a newspaper outside a train station in Tokyo.
Kishida talks up bolstered Latin American ties as China cements position
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida holds a news conference in Sao Paulo on Saturday.
'Monster' Inoue ready to tear down Luis Nery in title defense at Tokyo Dome
Naoya Inoue (left) and Luis Nery following a pre-fight news conference in Yokohama on Saturday, two days ahead of their super bantamweight title fight.
Debate on constitutional revision at a standstill despite Kishida's pledges
With less than two months left before the conclusion of the current session of parliament, any possibility that Prime Minister Fumio Kishida can deliver constitutional reform before the end of his term as Liberal Democratic Party president in late September, as he has promised, appears remote.
Sapporo court ruling on Ainu fishing rights presents tough questions
A traditional Ainu preserved food called <i>satchep</i> (dried fish) being made at the government-run National Ainu Museum and Park, nicknamed Upopoy, in the town of Shiraoi, Hokkaido, on Dec. 25. The Sapporo District Court ruled last month that the Raporo Ainu Nation's rights as an Indigenous people did not extend to having an inherent right to fish for commercial reasons.
With eye on China, defense chiefs agree to bolster interoperability
From left: U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, Australian defense chief Richard Marles, Japanese Defense Minister Minoru Kihara and Philippine Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro hold a joint news conference in Honolulu on Thursday.
Yellow sand allergy: A health issue made worse by climate change
A screenshot of the Meteorological Agency's satellite image of clouds and yellow sand (in pink) on Sunday.

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