The Japanese government’s plans to tighten espionage and secrecy legislation have been welcomed as a necessary bulwark at a time of deepening national security concerns, although analysts fear that any revisions will be too broad and could be used to stifle free speech and media freedom.Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, a long-time proponent of tightening rules on espionage and secrecy, was already formulating policies before she took office in October.
On November 26, Takaichi told a Diet session that her government would consider new laws covering “spying prevention” and “speedily draft” them.
And while Takaichi’s Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) may head a minority government, the rise of conservative parties in the most recent election, notably Sanseito, and the backing of centrists such as the Japan Innovation Party, mean the legislation is likely to receive widespread support.
Sanseito supporters gather during an election campaign in Yokohama on July 19. Photo: Kyodo/AP
“An anti-spy law has long been the LDP’s political ambition, with the party submitting a bill in 1985 that met significant resistance in part because it included the death penalty as a punishment,” said Teppei Kasai, an officer with Human Rights Watch in Tokyo.
AloJapan.com