56 Pct in Japan Back Bill Criminalizing National Flag Vandalism

Tokyo, June 18 (Jiji Press)–A Jiji Press public opinion poll released Thursday showed that 56.7 pct of respondents support legislation to criminalize vandalism of the Japanese national flag. The figure was far higher than the 20.9 pct who oppose the bill and the 22.4 pct who support neither side or are unsure. Creating a criminal offense for damaging the national flag is one of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s key policy initiatives. The bill calls for imposing a maximum prison term of two years or a fine of up to 200,000 yen on anyone who publicly damages the national flag “in a way that causes people to feel extremely uncomfortable or disgusted.” Some people are concerned that criminalizing vandalism of the Japanese national flag could infringe on freedom of expression. Among supporters of Takaichi’s cabinet, 69.1 pct support the legislation, while 13.6 pct oppose it. Of respondents who disapprove of the current cabinet, 37.5 pct support the bill, while 42.7 pct oppose it. Support outweighed opposition among backers of the four parties that jointly submitted the bill to the House of Representatives, the lower chamber of the Diet, or parliament–the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, the Japan Innovation Party, the LDP’s junior coalition partner, the opposition Democratic Party for the People and Sanseito–as well as supporters of Komeito, Team Mirai and the Conservative Party of Japan. In contrast, opposition was stronger among those who support the main opposition Centrist Reform Alliance, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and the Japanese Communist Party. The interview-based survey, conducted over four days through Monday, covered 2,000 people aged 18 or older nationwide. Valid responses came from 57.1 pct. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]