Conspiracy bill

「共謀罪」について英語で書いてみました。めんどうなので日本語訳はつけません。マスコミではあまり報道されていないのですが、戦前戦時中の「治安維持法」を想起させるような法律です。今はまだ「法案」の段階ですが今日明日中にも可決されてしまうかもしれません。法律にしてはいけないよ！「国際組織犯罪」の防止というのが名目ですが、治安維持法も「共産主義対策」として成立し、のちに戦争政策に反対する人を根こそぎ刑務所送りにし拷問する事態につながりました。私たちはなぜ過去に学ばないのだろう。周囲の人々を見て暗い気持ちになることは、人々が「国家」というリヴァイアサン（怪物）にたいしてあまりにも無防備でナイーブ（無知）であることです。法律は（憲法も教育基本法も）ある面で、国家という化け物から個人を守るためにあるべきものです。法律が国家のものになってしまったら、権力も武力も持たない個人はどうやって国家から自分を守ることができるのでしょう。「国家の品格」なんて本がベストセラーになり、中韓や北朝鮮などの競合国あるいは「敵国」に対する「われらが日本」のみがもっぱら強調されている中で、「国家」と「国民」が本来持っているはずの緊張関係が見落とされてるのを心底危険な状態だと感じています。美しい日本、ニッポンチャ・チャ・チャ、わが祖国とイチローに感動し、桜の花に日本のこころを感じ入る中で、すっかり国家と自分を同一視している日本人。あぶなっかしくて見ていられない。どんなに「国家の威信」をアピールしたところで、あなたの命なんか国家の手によって簡単につぶされてしまう紙くずみたいなものなのに。紙くずになってしまうんです。

The ruling party has been putting foward the bill to make conspiracy a crime in spite of strong objections from the opposition parties. The bill should not be passed in terms of human right protection.

The crux of the bill is that one would be arrested and punished for joining others to plan a crime even if the crime was not actually carried out or no concrete preaparations were
made to commit the crime. The bill was proposed to combat against international organized
crimes such as drug traficking, arms smuggling and international terrorism. United Nations Convention Against Transnational Organized Crimes in 2000, which Japan signed, obliges member countries to have domestic legislation that establishes conspiracy as a crime. The Japanese government asserts that the bill is aimed at meeting the U.N. obligation.

The legislation of the bill could threaten democracy for the following two reasons.
Firstly,the target of the legislation has not been clarified. Although the Justice Ministry
claims the legislation is designed to target only organized crime syndicates, the bill has not
stipulated it allowing the room for stretched interpretation. The fears remain that the
ordinary activities by ordinary citizons can be targetted. The bill is beyond the demand from the the U.N. Convention, which targets the crimes that are transnational in nature and
involve criminal organizations as well as covers only some grave crimes clealy specified. The bill, on the other hand, covers as many as 615 types of offenses that have nothing to do with
organized crimes.
Secondly, the definition of "conspiracy"is vague. There is a possibility that "even winking" could be a signal of criminal conspiracy.

In conclustion, the bill that leaves room for stretched interpretation leading to abuse
could infringe on the right to freedom of speech and expressions. We should remember how the
situation has changed after the National Anthem Law was enacted. When the law was enacted,
the authority said that the law was not aimed at forcing teachers and students to stand and
sing the National Anthem. Today however, a lot of teachers have been punished for not
singing the National Anthem. Another lesson is what the 1925-45 Peace Preservation Law
brought to Japan's society. The Law was introduced with aim to crack down on communism and
the target was gradually expanded to include all kinds of individual activities and express-
ions to criticize then authority's war-promoting policies. The controvercial bill is about to
be passed in the Diet. We should prevent the enactment of legislation at any cost in order
to protect democracy.