November,29,2013

Calling for Enactment of Special Secret Protection Bill During Current Diet Session

The draft Special Secret Protection Bill has become a major topic of debate. The ruling party of the government is hoping to enact this bill before the current Diet session ends on December 6, and the Happiness Realization Party also strongly supports the early establishment of this law.

China has recently unilaterally established an air defense identification zone in the East China Sea that includes airspace over the Senkaku Islands in Okinawa Prefecture. The governments of Japan and the United States immediately denounced the zone as unacceptable, and the situation is now volatile. Based on the law that has been passed for the establishment of the Japanese National Security Council (NSC), a meeting of this Council is expected to be held next month, and it will be necessary to pass the draft Special Secret Protection Bill, which prevents the leaking of information, in order to deepen collaboration with relevant countries with regard to the situation in Northeast Asia. Such a legal system for the protection of secrets is an international standard, and the potential dangers will grow if we continue to allow a situation in which Japan is mocked as a “heaven for spies.”

The media has opposed this legislation, stating that it will infringe upon “the right to know.” Now that the fate of the nation is on the line, however, it is plain as day that—based on a comparison of the benefits of the protection law in light of national security and freedom of the press—it is necessary to promptly establish this legislation while giving sufficient attention to freedom of the press.

There have been criticisms that this law is a “preparation for war,” but as long as the surrounding nuclear powers unabashedly show their intention to invade Japanese territory, we believe that this law will be necessary as a “preparation for fighting back” aimed at the proactive establishment of peace. It seems that ahead of the development of a legal system for the protection of secrets, the administration of Shinzo Abe is looking to approve the use of the right to collective self-defense, and to revise of Article 9 of the Constitution. Rather than taking a soft-handed approach that leaves the people of Japan making speculations, an effort should be made to eliminate concerns regarding the importance of protecting people’s lives, safety, assets and the nation’s interests, and the understanding of the people must be obtained by giving explanations in a sincere manner. Thus, with the government’s approval rating hovering at a high level, we are calling for Prime Minister Abe to address this issue head-on.

Ryoko Shaku,
Party Leader,
Happiness Realization Party