Under the banners such as Stop Wiretapping
Bill! Defend Privacy of Citizens!, 5 thousand
workers and citizens participated in the
rally against the bill that would allow law
enforcement authorities to wiretap communications
in investigations aganist organized crime
at Hibiya Park in Tokyo Tuesday, August 3.
As the wiretapping bill was drafted by Justice
Ministry officials and, for that reason,
is conveniently designed for police and bureaucrats.
People, therefore, came to take the bill
seriously and became consious about protecting
the interests of the public. People felt
wiretapping would have a negative impact
on people's lives, founding the disadvantages
to society outweigh the advantage to investigators.
For example, the Japan P.E.N Club, a writer's
organization, has been deeply concerned about
the situation because the wiretapping bill
would pass the Diet without being fully deliberated.
Then it sent written open inquiries on the
bill to members of the upper house, which
included the following four questions:
* If your telephone calls or e-mail were
wiretapped without your knoledge, do you
think it would have no adverse effect on
your political activities?
* Do you not think it necessary to create
a system under which wiretapping is monitored
by a third-party watchdog with authority
to halt operations when it determines them
to be unnecessary or illegal?
* Do you not think journalists' communications
should be exempt?
* If there is a need to enact a wiretapping
law, do you think the Diet must at least
hold public hearings, listen to the views
of people in various sectors and devise measures
to minimize unnecessary violations of human
rights, to create a better law based on public
consensus?
Almost all members of LDP (Liberal Democratic
Party), LP (Liberal Party) and New Komeito
backing the bill ignored questions above,
the general public, however, will be expecting
politicians to take more interest in the
bill, because of its implications for the
freedom of the electronic media.
The House of Councillors on Thursday, August
12 passed a set of three anticrime bills,
one of which would allow wiretapping during
investigations into organized crime, after
overnaight confusion with "ox-walk"
tactics and a tug-of-war between the ruling
and opposition camps.
We strongly criticize the way the bills were
railroaded through the House of Councillors
judicial committee without official vote,
breaking down democracy. Ramming the bills
through despite public concern about them
should be condemned. Keeping a close watch
on how the laws are used, we should keep
on the movements to crash the wiretapping.