Tokyo, Oct. 2 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government is expected to add the Imperial Palace and the prime minister’s office to its list of facilities that require special protection for national security reasons, it was learned Friday. The government is also considering introducing a permit system for land acquisitions near such facilities, according to a draft of a bill to be submitted to an extraordinary session of the Diet, Japan’s parliament, to be convened Monday. The list mainly covers facilities of the Self-Defense Forces and the Japan Coast Guard under the current critical land survey law. The government aims to strengthen regulations governing such land, in response to the growing use of drones in warfare around the world. On Friday, a government panel of experts submitted a proposal on the issue to Kimi Onoda, minister in charge of policies related to foreign nationals. “We will accelerate our work to submit the bill to revise the law to the Diet as soon as possible,” Onoda said. Other facilities to be newly added to the list of important facilities will also include the Diet building and facilities housing government agencies in charge of crisis management. Meanwhile, the envisaged permit system for land transactions will apply to areas within some 1,000 meters of SDF and JCG facilities housing sensitive equipment such as fighter jets and radar systems, as well as uninhabited border islands. In principle, land acquisition will not be permitted if the buyer is affiliated with a foreign government or military, or if there is a risk of damaging the territorial sea baseline. Additionally, the government plans to establish a system of on-site inspections by Cabinet Office officials and impose penalties for fraudulent activities involving important facilities. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
