秘密保護法成立 国家安保戦略の深化につなげよ

The Yomiuri Shimbun December 8, 2013
Make use of intelligence protection law to strengthen national security strategy
秘密保護法成立　国家安保戦略の深化につなげよ（12月7日付・読売社説）

　◆疑念招かぬよう適切な運用を

A law to protect state secrets, comparable to those in other advanced countries, has finally been enacted in Japan.
　日本にもようやく米英など他の先進国並みの機密保全法制が整った。

The government must use the law to strengthen diplomatic and national security policies. At the same time, it should pay special attention in applying the law, so the general public does not feel as if its right to know will be limited.
　外交・安全保障政策の強化につなげる一方で、「知る権利」が損なわれるという疑念を国民から抱かれぬよう、政府は運用に十分配慮しなければならない。

The specially designated intelligence protection law, which strengthens punishments of public employees who leak classified information concerning national security, was enacted after a bill on the law passed a House of Councillors plenary session late Friday, with a majority of votes by the Liberal Democratic Party and New Komeito.
　安全保障に関わる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が６日深夜、参院本会議で自民、公明両党の賛成多数によって可決、成立した。

With the ruling and opposition parties in fierce confrontation over the bill, members of Your Party—which agreed to passage of the bill in the House of Representatives—walked out of the plenary session, criticizing the ruling camp’s way of managing Diet business as “high-handed.” We regret that this extremely important law was born in such unusual circumstances.
　与野党が激しく対立する中、衆院で賛成したみんなの党が与党の「強引な国会運営」を批判して退席した。極めて重要な法律が異例の事態で誕生したのは残念だ。

Unified rules clarified
　◆統一的なルール明確に

As epitomized by China’s recent declaration of an air defense identification zone, the national security environment surrounding Japan has become increasingly severe.
　中国の防空識別圏設定の動きが象徴するように、日本の安全保障環境は厳しさを増している。

Japan needs to obtain important intelligence on the matter from the United States and other countries and must strengthen its cooperation with them. To do so, it is indispensable to enhance the credibility of its efforts to protect secret information.
　米国はじめ各国から重要な情報を入手し、連携を強めねばならない。それには、秘密保護への信頼を高めることが不可欠だ。

Japan already had rules in place to protect state secrets, including obligations for public officials to protect secrets under the National Civil Service Law, rules for special defense secrets in line with the Japan-U.S. Mutual Defense Assistance Agreement of 1954, and another set of rules for defense secrets under the Self-Defense Forces Law revised in 2001.
　既に国家公務員法の守秘義務や１９５４年の日米相互防衛援助協定に伴う特別防衛秘密、２００１年の改正自衛隊法による防衛秘密などの法制はある。

However, these rules have not adequately protected important intelligence, and it has been pointed out that intelligence is easily leaked in Japan. With the new law, unified and full-fledged rules covering the entire government have been put in place to protect state secrets concerning defense, diplomacy and anti-espionage and antiterrorism activities.
　それでも十分ではなく、日本は情報が漏れやすいと指摘されてきた。今回、防衛、外交、スパイ活動防止、テロ防止に関する、政府全体の統一的かつ本格的な秘密保全ルールが整ったと言える。

The Japanese version of the U.S. National Security Council was launched Wednesday. To enhance the council’s intelligence gathering and analysis abilities, the new law is indispensable.
　今週発足した国家安全保障会議（日本版ＮＳＣ）の情報収集と分析の能力を高めていく上でも、欠かせない法制度である。

However, the legislative intent of the law, which is to protect the Japanese people, has been made light of by some people.
　ところが、国民を守るための立法趣旨が軽んじられている。

We were surprised that during Diet deliberations on the bill some opposition party members criticized the legislation, even comparing it to the prewar public order maintenance law, which was used to clamp down on ideological criminals. That is an extremely irrational opinion that ignores Japan’s postwar history as a democratic nation as well as changes in the political system and media coverage.
　審議の中で戦前、思想犯の弾圧に用いられた治安維持法になぞらえた批判まで出たのには驚く。戦後の民主主義国家としての歩みや政治体制、報道姿勢の変化を無視した暴論と言うほかなかろう。

In answer to a question during Diet deliberations on the bill, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said: “The general public won’t have access to specially designated secrets, so prosecution of citizens under the law won’t be possible.” As he said, ordinary citizens will not be subject to the law.
　安倍首相が「一般国民が特定秘密を知ることはあり得ない。ゆえに処罰されることはあり得ない」と答弁したように、普通の国民が対象となることはない。

Yet, it cannot be denied that the people’s distrust of the government increased through the deliberations of the bill. The government must explain the intent of the secret intelligence protection law carefully to the people and seek their understanding.
　ただ、法案審議を通じ、政府に対する国民の不信感が増したことも否めない。政府は、秘密保護法の趣旨を国民に丁寧に説明し、理解を求めていくべきである。

Through discussions between the ruling parties and the opposition parties Nippon Ishin no Kai (Japan Restoration Party) and Your Party, the range of subjects that can be designated as special secrets was narrowed further, and the principles for disclosing them after they are declassified was made clear. This is praiseworthy.
　与党と維新の会やみんなの党との協議で、秘密指定対象がより絞られ、指定解除後の公開原則も明確になったことは評価できる。

Concern over right to know
　◆知る権利とのバランス

The biggest point of contention in the upper house deliberations was whether bureaucrats would arbitrarily expand the range of secrecy.
　参院審議の最大の論点は、官僚が恣意(しい)的に秘密の範囲を拡大するのではないかという点だった。

Abe pledged to establish a third-party surveillance committee to check the validity of confidentiality designations. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga also mentioned that an information oversight office with about 20 members will be established in the Cabinet Office. These appear to be the results of concessions made by the government thus far.
　秘密指定の妥当性をチェックする第三者機関として、首相は「保全監視委員会」を設けると約束した。菅官房長官も、内閣府に２０人規模の「情報保全監察室」を発足させると言明した。政府側が次々と妥協を図ったと言える。

It is essential that the proposed third-party organ be equipped with functional capabilities. Due heed must especially be taken of the public’s strong concern about secrets handled by such organizations as the National Police Agency and the Public Security Investigation Agency, which are involved in dealing with terrorism and espionage activities.
　第三者機関には実効性を持たせることが肝要だ。特に、警察庁や公安調査庁などテロやスパイ活動を取り締まる分野での秘密については、国民の不安が強いことに留意しなければならない。

The Democratic Party of Japan has maintained that a third-party body, if established within the government, would be unable to perform its functions. However, it is doubtful whether a third-party committee comprising experts nominated by both the ruling and opposition parties, as proposed by the DPJ, would be able to adequately judge the secrecy of information.
　民主党は、政府内の組織では、機能を果たせないと言うが、民主党の提案するように与野党が指名した有識者による委員会で的確に検証できるのか、疑問だ。

High-level judgments on how to handle highly confidential state secrets can be made only in light of government policy and national strategy. We thus believe an oversight body established within the government is desirable in view of the high risk of an information leak.
　秘匿性の高い情報をどう扱うかという高度の判断は、政府の方針や国家戦略に基づいてこそ可能になる。情報漏えいリスクが高まる観点からも、政府内の監視組織の方が望ましい。

The biggest concern is whether government employees will become apprehensive about answering questions from the media out of fear of severe punishment, namely up to 10 years in prison imposed on people who violate the secrecy law. They also might use the law as an excuse to hide information.
　最も懸念されるのは、公務員が懲役１０年以下という厳罰を恐れ、報道機関の取材に対して萎縮しかねないことだ。秘密保護法を理由に情報を秘匿する恐れがある。

Due to such overreaction to the Personal Information Protection Law, it is already difficult to share even information that needs to be shared for the good of society. This trend should not be accelerated.
　個人情報保護法に対する過剰反応で、社会に必要な情報まで流通しにくくなった。その傾向に拍車をかけてはなるまい。

Concrete steps needed
　◆「原則公開」も問われる

The law calls for highly confidential state secrets to be disclosed in principle after 30 years of secrecy designation. An extension of up to 60 years will be allowed, with a few exceptions. Concrete measures, such as how to disclose or destroy documents after the secrecy period ends, have been left up in the air.
　特定秘密の公開は原則３０年後だ。延長する場合も一部例外を除き最長６０年である。指定解除後の文書をどう公開・廃棄するのか、具体的な方策はこれからだ。

There are also problems related to the freedom of information system that is supposed to be linked with the protection of secrets. The current system makes it difficult for people to access information because of the narrow range of disclosure.
　秘密保護とセットであるべき情報公開制度にも問題がある。現行の制度では公開の幅が狭く、国民が情報にアクセスしにくい。

Unless the system is changed to allow judges to see relevant documents in the event of a lawsuit filed over highly confidential secrets, the courts will be unable to fulfill their roles.
　特定秘密に関する訴訟が起きた場合、裁判官が対象文書を見ることができるようにしなければ裁判所としても役割を果たせない。

The Diet’s role also needs to be discussed. The ruling and opposition parties must deepen discussions on how to steer closed-door meetings in which highly confidential state secrets are provided, and how to relate such meetings to parliamentary rights to investigate state affairs.
　国会の関与のあり方も、検討課題である。特定秘密の提供を受ける秘密会をどう運営するか、国政調査権との関係をどう考えるか、与野党は議論を深めるべきだ。

The law will take effect within a year after its promulgation. We urge the ruling and opposition camps to hold consultations to improve the legal system regarding secrets.
　公布後、１年以内に施行される。与野党は協議を重ね、より良い法制に仕上げてもらいたい。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Dec. 7, 2013)
（2013年12月7日01時42分  読売新聞）