On Human Security
Japanese Association for the Right to Freedom of Speech
October 24, 2013
Tomorrow, on October 25th, Japanese Government is going to decide the introduction of the Bill for the Protection of National Secrets to the Diet during the current session.
This bill is intended to concretize the ambition of the Abe Cabinet to re-establish the prewar Imperial Headquarters commanded by the Emperor end the government.
The Government intends to get the bill voted with another bill establishing the Japanese version of the National Security Council.
These two bills, if passed, will allow the integration of Japanese Self-defense Forces into the U.S. Armed Forces through sharing of strategies and information and eventually lift the constitutional ban on the exercise of the right to collective self-defense.
Japan has not ratified any of the human rights convention protocols regarding individual complaint system.
In addition, the Public Office Election Law severely restricts election campaigns and the National Public Service Law prohibits political activities of public servants.
This considerably hampers democracy from functioning in Japan.
If the National Secret Protection Law is adopted, the freedom of speech will be further affected.
The National Secret Protection Law will give the government the power to decide what is a “national secret” to be protected while denying the right to know of the population and the freedom of press of the media.
A violation of this law could be punishable by 10 years of imprisonment.
Moreover, the right of the Diet members to investigate into state affairs as well as the lawmaking power of the Diet will be considerably limited.
It would eventually destroy democracy and the basic human rights of the Japanese people in a blunt violation of the Japanese Constitution.
For many years, the Japanese Government has been hostile to the international covenants on human rights and continued to oppress conscientious citizens.
It has neglected the recommendation of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights insisting on the promotion of transparency of all necessary information concerning the problems related to the safety of nuclear facilities and the prevention of nuclear accident and development of plans to quickly cope with such accidents.
As a result, following the great earthquake of March 11, 2011, TEPCO nuclear reactors exploded in Fukushima.
In spite of this, the Government did not hesitate to argue back against the recommendations made by the special rapporteur Mr. Anand Grover at the Human Rights Council meeting held in May this year.
It is not possible to improve the situation in Fukushima unless the Japanese Government ratifies the protocol on individual complaint mechanism, establish the separation of justice from other powers and abrogate the two repressive laws restricting citizen’s political activities.
The radiation continues to spread on global scale and might cause a global ecological catastrophe due to earthquakes and typhoons.
There is a growing threat that over 10 million residents of Tokyo become radiation refugees.
We urge the United Nations to press Japanese Government to ratify the protocol on individual complaint and establish the political rights of Japanese people for the sake of “human security”.
JRFS 自由権規約第６回日本政府報告書予備審査 発言原稿 (要約)
ジュネーブ：２０１３年１０月２４日第１０９回期自由権規約委員会
福島第一原発核爆発による放射能汚染は地球規模で拡大しており、新たな大地震や台風によって地球の生態圏に対する大災害に拡大する危険があり、首都東京の１０００万人の住民が放射線汚染によって難民化する脅威の高まりがあり、それは現実の危機として存在していることを訴え、人間の安全保障のために、日本において法の支配を確立し、日本の市民の政治的権利を確立することが不可欠であり、国連として日本政府に対して、ただちに人権条約に備わっている個人通報制度を批准して法の支配を確立し、2008年に自由権規約委員会が第5回日本政府報告書審査の結果日本政府に勧告(パラグラフ26)した表現の自由と参政権に対する（公職選挙法と国家公務員法等の）弾圧法規を破棄するよう、強く働きかけるよう求めました。