Oppressive Government or Terrorism

Newspapers in Japan reported terrorist assault in a satirical newspaper office in Paris with huge headline on the front page. Pretending to be shocked, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe released his comment to denounce terrorism against freedom of speech. It is unforgettable, however, that Abe is the very political leader who has been oppressing freedom of speech inside Japan. It is nothing but a black joke for new year.

Supposedly having carefully consulted with bureaucrats around him, Abe released his comment on the terrorism in Paris at the entrance of his Official Residence on Thursday. “It is terrorism against freedom of speech and reporting. Coward terrorism cannot be tolerated in any reason,” he told to the reporters. Chief Cabinet Secretary, Yoshihide Suga, followed Abe in his press conference. One of the reasons of the officials firmly denouncing terrorism is to justify its policy of reinforcing Japan’s military capability for joining global war on terror.

It is highly unclear whether Abe and his colleagues are serious about freedom of speech. Dismissing broad opposition in the public, Abe passed the Designated Secrecy Law one year after he took seat and activated it last month. Under the law, the government can arrest journalist who obtained a designated secrecy from someone working for the government at its disposal.

Although the administration explained the purpose of the legislation as protecting information shared by allied countries, the provision of the law exceeded its necessity. Hidden intention is to let the government enable to hide any information it likes and discourage inconvenient news media which frequently releases scoops. The law is the product of a prime minister who wants to oppress freedom of speech and bureaucrats who have been frustrated by unleashed activities of media organization.

Abe’s oppressive attitude to news media appeared in the time of election campaign last month. Abe’s close aid in Liberal Democratic Party summoned senior journalists of private TV stations and asked not to broadcast any program that would not take neutral position between leading and opposition party. It is impossible for TV station to determine which program is neutral and which is not. So, all stations were self-restraint in reporting the campaign, afraid of looking biased.

An oppressive government to put pressure not to criticize its policy makes no difference from brutal terrorism against news organization, putting aside use of military weapons. As shown in former Premier Jun-ichiro Koizumi when he said “terrorism is fearful” in September 11^th attack, Abe might have been simply expressed his fear on terrorism. If so, it was a horror on his own mirror image.