秘密保護法案 将来の「原則公開」軸に修正を

The Yomiuri Shimbun November 18, 2013
Secrets bill should be revised to ensure eventual disclosure
秘密保護法案　将来の「原則公開」軸に修正を（11月17日付・読売社説）

An envisaged law to ensure protection of specially designated state secrets is essential in enhancing the functions of a Japanese version of the U.S. National Security Council, which will play a key role in the nation’s security strategy.
　安全保障戦略の司令塔となる国家安全保障会議（日本版ＮＳＣ）の機能を充実させる上で、欠かせない法整備だ。

We expect both the ruling and opposition parties to thoroughly discuss the legislation and search for common grounds to avoid public skepticism.
　国民から疑念を抱かれぬよう、与野党は議論を尽くし、合意点を探ってもらいたい。

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner, New Komeito, have begun negotiations on amendments to the special secrets protection bill separately with Nippon Ishin no Kai (Japan Restoration Party) and Your Party.
The envisaged law allows for harsher punishments for public servants who leak state secrets.
　自民、公明両党は、機密情報を漏らした公務員らの罰則を強化する特定秘密保護法案について、日本維新の会、みんなの党とそれぞれ修正協議に入った。

We believe the main opposition Democratic Party of Japan, which considered similar legislation when it was in office, also should join the negotiations.
与党時代に同様の法制を検討した民主党も、修正協議に参加すべきだろう。

With the increasingly severe security environment surrounding Japan, the risk of leaking classified information is growing. A system to prevent secrets from being leaked is necessary for Japan to exchange and share important information with other countries.
　日本を巡る安全保障環境が厳しさを増し、情報漏えいのリスクも高まっている。外国と重要情報を交換し、共有するには、機密漏えいを防止する仕組みが必要だ。

Negotiations on amendments to the bill are based on the recognition of such fundamental factors. We will watch the course of the negotiations carefully.
　修正協議は、そうした基本的な認識を踏まえてのものだ。この動きを注視したい。

In deliberations on the bill at the House of Representatives Special Committee on National Security and interparty negotiations on changes to the bill, a major point of contention is the extent of information relevant to defense, diplomacy, and antiespionage and antiterrorism efforts to be designated as special secrets.
　衆院国家安全保障特別委員会での審議や修正協議では、防衛、外交、スパイ活動防止、テロ防止の４分野とした特定秘密の範囲が、大きな論点になっている。

It is deeply feared that the government might designate as much information as it likes as special secrets to conceal information detrimental to its interests.
　政府が特定秘密の対象を際限なく拡大し、都合の悪い情報を秘匿しかねないとの懸念は根強い。

Public right to know

According to the bill, the period of confidentiality is set at a maximum of five years with the possibility of extending this period. But some people believe the envisaged law will enable the government to conceal special secrets semipermanently because the period could be extended to more than 30 years with the Cabinet’s approval.
　特定秘密の有効期間は上限５年で更新可能だが、内閣が承認すれば３０年を超えても期間を延長できるため、半永久的に情報が秘匿されるといった批判もある。

We believe it is important to stipulate in the bill that special secrets be made public as a matter of principle after passage of a certain period of time. If special secrets are to be eventually disclosed to the public, even in the distant future, such a provision is expected to be effective in preventing the government from designating information as special secrets in an arbitrary manner.
　重要なのは、一定期間後に特定秘密情報を「原則公開」すると明示することではないか。後日あるいは遠い将来でも、公開するとなれば、政府の恣意(しい)的な指定に歯止めをかける効果が期待できる。

Of course, some exceptional secrets cannot be publicly disclosed, such as secret codes and intelligence involving other countries. We believe it would be difficult to include in the bill a stipulation that all secrets should be disclosed without exception.
　相手国のある場合や、暗号など例外的に秘密指定を解除できない情報もあろう。一律解除を法案に盛り込むのは、無理がある。

Meanwhile, creation of a third-party panel that would monitor the appropriateness of the government’s designation of special secrets is under discussion. However, we wonder if outsiders would be able to properly evaluate a huge number of secrets. With their responsibility, heads of administrative bodies are really the only people who can judge whether to designate information as special secrets by considering the nation’s strategy and interest.
　特定秘密の指定の妥当性をチェックするため、第三者機関の設置が論議されている。だが、大量の秘密情報を部外者が適切に判断できるのか疑問だ。行政機関の長が、国家戦略や国益を考慮し、自らの責任で判断するしかあるまい。

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe expressed his intention to transfer government documents, including special secrets, to the National Archives of Japan and disclose them to the public after the effective confidentiality periods for such secrets expire. It is important to put rules in place that would enable future generations to check whether the designations were appropriate.
　安倍首相は、特定秘密を含む文書を指定解除後、国立公文書館に移管し、公開する意向を示した。後世の検証を可能とするようなルール作りが不可欠である。

How to guarantee the people’s right to know has also become a point of contention. Asked if the press would become subject to investigation if a special secret is leaked, Justice Minister Sadakazu Tanigaki said it was difficult to generalize.
　「知る権利」の保障も論議になった。特定秘密が流出した場合、報道機関が捜査対象になるかどうかに関し、谷垣法相は「一概に言うことは難しい」と答弁した。

If the press is investigated at the whim of authorities, the freedom of news gathering and reporting would be significantly hampered. We can never make any concession on this point.
　仮に、捜査当局の判断で報道機関に捜査が及ぶような事態になれば、取材・報道の自由に重大な影響が出ることは避けられない。ここは譲れない一線だ。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Nov. 17, 2013)
（2013年11月17日01時43分  読売新聞）