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Friday, 29 November 2013

Japan's state secrecy law

Prison For ‘Inappropriate’ Reporting: Fukushima



27 November , 2012


By Susan Duclos

Japan’s more powerful lower house of Parliament passed a state secrecy law which will allow the Japanese government to put journalists in prison for any “inappropriate” reporting and according to ENENews, who quotes from the AP, this secrecy “bill’s definition of secrets is so vague and broad that it could easily be expanded to include radiation data.”

As most readers know, the Fukushima nuclear plant was crippled in 2011 after the great earthquake and tsunami and radiation leaks have continued since along with hundreds of tons of radioactive water being pumped into the Pacific daily. It is also known that the people of Japan have already been gagged for the most part on social media, from telling the world how bad the crisis is after the more recent 7.3 earthquake.

It is also reported that the United States welcomes this new gagging of information coming out of Japan.

Journalists who obtain information “inappropriately” or “wrongfully” can get up to five years in prison, prompting criticism that it would make officials more secretive and intimidate the media. Attempted leaks or inappropriate reporting, complicity or solicitation are also considered illegal. [...] Japan’s proposed law also designates the prime minister as a third-party overseer.

How much worse is the Fukushima situation than what we already know? 

2 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  2. Thank You for providing further confirmation that the average Japanese citizen has been banned from revealing the man on the street eyewitnessing of this catastrophe. I hope, if you learn anymore about that aspect, you will share on this most excellently informative site. Sadly? It's a topic I wish didn't exist, but I'd rather know about it than not.

    Again, Thank You.

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