Japan's lower house passes secrecy bill amid public, political opposition

Japan's ruling coalition on Tuesday pushed a controversial secrecy bill through the lower house of parliament, despite staunch public and political opposition to the bill. The bill was passed in the chamber by a majority vote by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), its new New Komeito ally and the opposition Your Party, but the main opposition Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) opposed the bill saying that public concern remained and as such more deliberations were needed in parliament. Japan's Prime Minister and leader of the LDP Shinzo Abe told reporters on Tuesday that he was aware that there is opposition to the bill, but its passage to the upper house to be enacted into law was of fundamental importance to protect the safety of people. The bill will enforce prison terms of up to 10 years for the leaking of state secrets pertaining to sensitive information on issues of diplomacy, defense, terrorism or covert operations. Those opposing the bill believe it could lead to politicians refusing to disclose important information to the public. The DPJ has been seeking to limit the scope of the new piece of legislation and would like it to only cover issues pertaining to intelligence-related secrets and those related to terrorism, it said. But with the ruling bloc holding the most clout in the lower house, Abe has been keen to establish a broad consensus from opposition parties on the matter, as public criticism of the proposed bill has been harsh and has successfully pushed the bill through the lower house in spite of dissensions, voting abstentions and walkouts by some opposition lawmakers on Tuesday. Nationwide surveys have shown that the new secrecy bill is opposed by more than 50 percent of Japanese citizens, with just over 35 percent in favor of it, and as such the DPJ on Tuesday slammed the bill saying it was forced through the lower house without proper political due diligence. DPJ Secretary General Akihiro Ohata told a news briefing after the vote that the bill threatens to infringe on Japan's democratic ideals. In twine with Abe's plans to establish a U.S-style National Security Council, the bill is widely regarded as Abe's way of boosting the nation's defense capabilities against a backdrop of what Japan's premiere has consistently described as a "changing geo-political landscape in Asia." "The new bill and Abe's plans going forward have drawn the ire of some opposition party members and the public," Japanese affairs commentator Kaoru Imori told Xinhua. "There is concern that the ruling bloc, who hold sway in both houses of parliament, will be able to restrict the public's access to important information at will, without having to provide adequate explanations," he said. Imori mentioned issues in the recent past regarding the ongoing Fukushima nuclear crisis and how there have been multiple instances where the government has prevented vital information being released publicly, or in a timely manner, in a bid to lessen the sense of danger and bolster public confidence in the government's ability to effectively manage the disaster. Other analysts mentioned that Abe's new moves are reminiscent of Japan's wartime military secrecy, which allowed the Imperial Forces to act with impunity and beyond the scope of public and international scrutiny. Under the new bill, information pertaining to national security would be deemed "special secrets" -- Abe told parliament that Japan has some 400,000 state secrets that could be redesigned as special secrets under the new piece of legislation, and remain classified for up to 60 years in most instances.