Japan’s LDP Seeks to Penalize National Flag Vandalism Videos

Tokyo, May 15 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Friday presented a draft outline of a bill that calls for punishing not only public vandalism of the Japanese national flag but also the posting on social media of videos and images showing such acts. After discussing the draft outline at a meeting of its project team, the LDP stopped short of approving it due to a number of cautious opinions from attendees, mainly related to concerns over freedom of expression. The outline also calls for imposing penalties of up to two years in prison or fines of up to 200,000 yen for individuals who publicly damage the flag. Former Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno, who chairs the team, told the meeting that the draft was compiled “with careful consideration for the freedom of thought, conscience, and expression.” Still, former Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya said that the planned legislation would lead to “excessive regulation” and intimidate the public. Shoji Nishida, an LDP member of the House of Councillors, expressed opposition to imposing penalties. The draft outline stipulates that any act of damaging the national flag, regardless of intent, will be punishable if it causes “extreme discomfort or disgust” in a way objectively recognizable to others. Videos and images shared by third parties, such as in news reports and reposts on social media, will not be subject to punishment, according to the outline. In response to concerns about potential infringements of the freedom of expression and conscience guaranteed by the Constitution, the LDP plans to include provisions addressing these issues. The proposed penalties align with those for the crime of damaging a foreign country’s national flag stipulated in the Penal Code, which also covers damage to military flags. The LDP, though, is considering limiting the scope of the bill to the Japanese national flag. Meanwhile, the project team has affirmed that there will be no provisions mandating respect for the national flag. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]