Lower house passes contentious state secret bill

Abe insisted that the bill would neither restrict freedom of the press nor encourage authorities to “arbitrarily” designate information as restricted.“Frankly speaking, there is misunderstanding,” Abe said. “I want to firmly say that it is obvious that normal reporting activity of journalists must not be a subject for punishment under the bill.”

Abe is a liar from WW2 history through to 2013 Olympic campaign, of course it will impinge on freedom.

Abe is the same as he proclaims to be protecting from -- a dictator, pure and simple. He wants to limit what you know, same as China does, but tries to apologize for it by saying it's to protect you from China. This guy is so vapid it's disgusting. I'm praying for his tummy-ache to recur, ten-fold. No surprise, really, though... he is after all the descendant of a war criminal.

Was there ever any doubt? It's quite fitting that the secrecy bill was approved in secret and against public opinion. Democracy Japanese style, "You have the right to know what decide to tell you!"

Japan has seriously leaks, why was Fukushima lumped into these talks?

Smithinjapan is right.

Abe is a dictator in the making.

He is a maniac.

And he's dragging Japan back to where it was before WWII.

Fukushima nuclear contamination is one of these secrets. Some have died with no reason, but the people who know them have been forced to keep quiet if they want to stay in government provided housing. More is going to come. They need to have this law to keep informants from leaking the information.

Secret! Secret! Secret!

Nedinjaan.

The 'keeping quiet' can't be all that successfully if you know about it.

It's Me. I was lucky enough to meet a Japanese helper to Fukushima victims, outside Japan, who said he could talk about it only because he was from Hokkaido. He was angry at the large cover-up operation already. He said his community were afraid of talking about it.

Something is rotten in the state of ...

About time. Japan cannot afford to be isolated from the US in any shape or form. There are things that you and me just DON'T need to know. Simple.

You seem to see only negative things in this , but , this is all made for the sake of protecting important military secrets that are at the moment , totally unprotected, while at same time China , with their military , is knocking at the door .

The legislation is aimed at plugging Japan’s notoriously leaky bureaucracy after years of complaints from chief ally the United States, which has been reluctant to pool information.

Thhis is the most interesting part in the article, in my opinion. It says everything.

You seem to see only negative things in this , but , this is all made for the sake of protecting important military secrets that are at the moment , totally unprotected, while at same time China , with their military , is knocking at the door .

Nenad.

You're too kind. It's not that they see only negative things. It's that they haven't read the bill. This is why some of these posters bring up "Fukushima" examples for in this law, it's N/A.

" About time. Japan cannot afford to be isolated from the US in any shape or form. There are things that you and me just DON'T need to know. Simple." @theResident, I do hope you were being sarcastic.

"1984" author George Orwell's work of fiction has become reality.

Just how many Snowdens and Mannings have leaked sensitive information in Japan to warrant this bill?

Is Abe trying to solve a problem or just going along with the double government system in the U.S.A.

One the visible government you know and vote for and the other the silent ones in the shadows who actually run the show.

That was how the bombing of Pearl Harbour was so successful. Tell America and the allies that Japan wanted peace; then carry out the despicable act. How does one trust liars and expect them to be truthful. Therefore to circumvent this distrust the secrets act is passed. Let this be known to all citizens of Japan that how often Abe goes to the toilet and how long he stays there is a state secret.

Sounds like the return of the kempeitai is coming.

"Freedom of speech," etc are Western concepts that were imposed on the Japanese people against their will. With the postwar period behind them, most Japanese people are now supporting people like Abe and Ishihara, because they've had enough of freedom and democracy and want a system more in line with Japanese values.

JeffLee: "because they've had enough of freedom and democracy and want a system more in line with Japanese values."

So, you're saying Japanese values espouse slavery and the inability to choose leaders?

"So, you're saying Japanese values espouse slavery and the inability to choose leaders?"

"Slavery"? I do recall the Japanese editor of a liberal newspaper complaining that democracy was "mob rule" and that his paper's "voluntary censorship" was superior to the "public has a right to know" maxim in the US and other countries. He also yearned for Japan to be ruled by enlightened dictatorship advised by skillful bureaucrats, rather than popularly elected leaders. Now if this is how the liberals think......

If the Japanese love democracy and freedom so much, then why are Abe and Ishihara the country's most popular politicians?

The law needs to strike a balance between Freedom of Speech and National Security.

I have not seen any written Secrecy Bill that has been just passed. Is there anyone who can post it on JT? I would like to examine the whole bill before making any further comment. Transparency is a critical element in democracy. I remember a sad Japanese history that took you to WW2.