Shinzo Abe’s long tenure as prime minister of Japan is notable for many reasons, but perhaps his most enduring achievements were made in the Diet where he led colleagues in passing several highly controversial bills sure to have an impact for many years to come.

In its more than 70-year history, Japan’s supreme court has never ruled that the police or any other agency of government has violated the constitutionally protected right to free speech. In a case decided recently, the court had the opportunity to break with precedent but once again sided with the government.

なぜ私は「立川反戦ビラ事件」について本を書いたか。 誰かが本にしなければ、この事件は忘れられてしまうだろう。

国民に政府文書の開示を求める権利を定めた情報公開法が2001年に施行されてから20年が経過した。開かれた政府の実現が期待されたが、森友学園を巡る財務省の決裁文書改ざんや、「桜を見る会」の招待者名簿が短期間で廃棄されるなど、制度がないがしろにされるケースが相次いでいる。【聞き手・青島顕】

In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, while governments in many countries issued mandatory lockdown orders backed by penalties for non-compliance, Japan’s did not.  International news organisations reported that Japan’s Constitution ‘would need to be amended to impose and enforce a lockdown’. The suggestion that effective action required constitutional change was no surprise. The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has been calling for change to the democratic Constitution since it was founded in 1955. One key proposal is the creation of an ‘emergency powers’ provision. But while the pandemic is a crisis that calls for emergency action, an effective response does not require constitutional change.

ゴーン元会長逃亡事件に関する極秘捜査資料を裁判記録の一部としてネット上で簡単に閲覧することができる米国と、依然として裁判記録へのアクセスのハードルが高く、公開が進まない日本について比較検証しています。 裁判公開や知る権利について、日米専門家とともに法廷メモ裁判の原告としてのインタビューが掲載されています。