Threats of terrorism a useful excuse

 November 8, 2013

Nuclear plant security info should be kept secret: Mori

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/11/08/national/nuclear-plant-security-info-should-be-kept-secret-mori/#.Un00JSewT9k

JIJI

Information on how nuclear power plants in Japan are guarded by police and security officers should be designated as a state secret under the proposed confidentiality bill, Masako Mori, minister in charge of the bill, said Friday.

“If we make public the security plans of police, such information could reach terrorists,” Mori said in a meeting of a House of Representatives special committee on national security, where full deliberations on the government-sponsored bill kicked off.

Mori recognized that information on how nuclear plants are guarded falls under the category of terrorism prevention cited in the list attached to bill as part of areas for state secret designation.

However, Mori said that information on the Trans-Pacific Partnership free trade negotiations will not be designated as a state secret because it does not fall under any in the list.

The controversial bill calls for tougher penalties on government officials and others who leak designated state secrets but leaves designation of secrets to top officials of government agencies.

As the bill stipulates that freedom of the press and news-gathering should be given due consideration, New Komeito lawmaker Yoshinori Oguchi asked in the committee meeting whether the provision covers news-gathering by political party newspapers.

Mori said she understands their news-gathering in principle is press coverage because they inform an indefinitely large number of people about the facts.

New Komeito, the junior coalition partner of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, issues a party paper called Komei Shimbun.

The government wants the state secret protection bill to be enacted during the ongoing session of the Diet that ends on Dec. 6, insisting it is inextricably linked to a bill to establish a national security council of the government That bill cleared the Lower House on Thursday.

Meanwhile, opposition parties are taking a firm stand against the bill, citing concerns about arbitrary designation of state secrets and infringement of the public’s right to know.