In the middle of the night on Friday, December 6, 2013, the Act on the Protection of Specially Designated Secrets was approved in the House of Councilors plenary session. We watched a process of the deliberation, but decided that its process will create a problem for the future of the Japanese democratic government. Because the handling of the bill by the ruling party was quite a rushed and forced method to quickly be steamrollered, relying on numerical power as they occupy the majority in both Houses, without enough discussion in either house of the Representatives and Councilors.

Although we watched the establishment, the contents of this law have many unsolved problems. Specific secrets might be designated arbitrarily by some people of the government administration. Therefore it obviously contains the danger to threaten people's right to know the truth and freedom of expression. We poets express concern here as we cannot ignore such anxiety for this law. We must never again invite the society of concealment and monitoring that led the path to war, without learning from the lesson of our last defeat. In addition, we appeal that we cannot cause irreparable suspicion and hostility abroad towards Japan.

Thus, we will continue criticizing the process before this bill reaches the approval because it is a result of a mob rule that is against the original democratic form, and we will continue to watch how this will be handled as to not cause any situation threatening peace. We have to ascertain whether this Act of Specially Designated Secrets is taken effect in an appropriate range for the present, and will demand the retraction of the law itself in future.

Furthermore, we have to mention the Secretary General of Liberal Democratic Party's comment in his blog dated November 29. He named the legal demonstration objecting to the establishment of this law as "the tactic by use of screaming which is essentially equal to terrorism". This is a display of arrogance, that denys the democracy which we have constructed with the effort after the war. And so, even if he withdrew a part of his comment afterwards, we cannot accept it as a simple gaffe.

The Japan Poet Club Inc. has made endeavors to dedicate to world peace through the interchange of the poetry based on the philosophy of ‘和暢友愛(peace and friendship)’ since its foundation in 1950. From this position, we point out the problem that the above-mentioned law contains, and we press the administration of the assembly for serious reflection on intensifying opposition in vain without enough discussion. Not only the opposing party, but the thoughtful Diet members of the ruling party, we request you to work on this problem from the inside and out of the Diet and the parties.

December 7, 2013
General Incorporated Association The Japan Poets Club
President, Yutaka Hosono
Director General, Yoshikatsu Kawanago
All Directors of the Japan Poets Club, Inc.