Japan's opposition parties gear up to take down contentious conspiracy bill in Diet debate

Japan's opposition parties maintained during parliamentary debate on Thursday that a controversial anti-terror conspiracy bill approved by the cabinet of Prime Minster Shinzo Abe remains a danger to the privacy of ordinary citizens and could unjustly punish civic groups and labor unions.

However, the ruling coalition bloc insists that the bill, which has been re-drafted three times, should be passed by the lower house by the end of this month, to be enacted into law following its passage through the upper house prior to the end of the current Diet session in June.

Opposition parties have stated that mere semantic changes to the final draft of the bill are not enough for them to sign off on its passage, and have voiced concern that the state would be allowed unprecedented powers of surveillance and could persecute civic groups without unequivocal justification.

In the latest iteration of the bill which is aimed at amending the law on organized crime, informed sources said Thursday that the charge of conspiracy has been reworded as "planning terrorism and similar acts."

Versions that have since been scrapped applied to "broader" groups.

The contentious bill also proposes punishing crimes in connection with the expansion of illegal activities of organized crime groups and covers 277 possible offenses spanning systematic killings, drug crimes and hijacking.

Those caught plotting one of the crimes could face up to five years in prison if the crimes they are planning carry the death penalty.

This prison sentence will also be applied if the crimes planned carry a jail sentence of 10 years or more, according to the bill.

The government maintains that the bill is needed to protect against potential acts of terrorism that may occur during the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics in Tokyo, with Abe's administration claiming that the latest version of the bill is less invasive than previous versions that were submitted and failed.

But opposition parties, lawyers and civic groups have voiced major concerns that the bill will lead to the government being allowed to invade the privacy of ordinary citizens and unjustly punish civic groups and labor union and in doing so possibly infringe on human rights.

The main opposition Democratic Party and three smaller allied parties said the minor semantic revisions made to the updated bill do little to quash fears that investigative authorities could be granted arbitrary powers of search.

The Democratic Party blasted the bill during its first task-force meeting on the issue Thursday with the party's Diet affairs chief Kazunori Yamanoi stating that the party must raise a great national uproar over the bill and attack Justice Minister Katsutoshi Kaneda, in thorough deliberations.

All four major opposition parties are united in killing the bill and have vowed not to allow it to pass through parliament and into law, stating that the bill was no different to three former iterations submitted to parliament that were subsequently scrapped.

They previously claimed that the bill will erode the integrity of the criminal code in Japan by allowing people to be charged in connections with crimes that have not been committed.

Opponents to the legislation also believe that the scope of the bill is not limited to terrorist groups and could be applied in an arbitrary manner by law enforcement personnel, despite the government's arguments to the contrary.

The latest draft of the controversial bill states that the charge of conspiracy will be applied to organized crime groups with the punishments being levied at groups of two or more people.

Punishments will follow in cases where at least one member has secured funds for their activities or been involved in reconnaissance activities regarding a target location, the bill also states.

The government's push for the latest version of the bill to become law is also, purportedly, to ratify the U.N. Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, which Japan signed in 2000.

The U.N. convention has been ratified by 187 signatories and Japan's foreign minister, Fumio Kishida, has said it is essential for Japan to also add its name ahead of hosting the Rugby World Cup here in 2019 and the Olympics in 2020.

Kishida also added that the legislation would serve to prevent terrorism and to bolster international cooperation in tackling organized crime.

Opposition parties and legal associations are adamant, however, that the bill remains vague as of Thursday and is still open to abuse by law enforcement personnel.

The Japan Federation of Bar Associations stated previously that the bill is ambiguous in its scope and its vagueness regarding the definition of terrorist organizations and crime groups could lead to the undue punishment of innocent civilians and groups.

Civic groups and individual protesters have been taking to the streets with large groups gathering in Tokyo in front of the Diet building and outside the prime minister's office holding banners and shouting slogans claiming the bill will serve to squash any groups that stand opposed to the government and that the bill is undemocratic.

Protesters have also said the bill could take away people's civil rights, is in violation of the constitution and could be the next example of Abe's administration abusing its majority in parliament to pass laws unilaterally, as was the case with the highly-contentious security laws. Enditem