http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/dec/05/whistleblowers-japan-crackdown-state-secrets
Whistleblowers and journalists in Japan
could soon find themselves facing long spells in prison for divulging
and reporting state secrets, possibly including sensitive information
about the Fukushima nuclear disaster and the country's souring relations with China.
Under
a special state secrets bill expected to pass on Friday, public
officials and private citizens who leak "special state secrets" face
prison terms of up to 10 years, while journalists who seek to obtain the
classified information could get up to five years.
Critics
of the new law say it marks a return to the days of prewar and wartime
Japanese militarism, when the state used the Peace Preservation Act to
arrest and imprison political opponents.
"It is a threat to
democracy," said Keiichi Kiriyama, an editorial writer for the Tokyo
Shimbun newspaper, adding that the legislation would "have a chilling
effect on public servants, who could become wary about giving the
information" to journalists.
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