Tokyo cancels Japan visit by U.N. expert on freedom of expression
Mainichi Japan: 20 November 2015
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- A U.N. expert in charge of freedom of expression said Thursday the Japanese government has canceled his visit to the country scheduled for next month.
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David Kaye, U.N. special rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, told Kyodo News he hopes he "can continue t...o work with the (Japanese) government" and that he has always had good interactions with it.
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The rare cancellation by the government of an official visit drew criticism among his supporters that the government is seeking to hinder him from taking up such issues as the secrecy law for the prevention of leaks of state secrets.
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Under the contentious law that took effect last year, civil servants or others who leak designated secrets will face up to 10 years in prison, and those who instigate leaks, including journalists, will be subject to a prison term of up to five years.
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"We will rearrange the schedule because we couldn't make full preparations to accept the visit due to budget compilation and other reasons," said an official of the Foreign Ministry that coordinated the visit.
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While Kaye said "the government has said that they wanted to postpone the visit until the autumn," the ministry declined to confirm it.
.Kaye announced his planned visit to Japan from Dec. 1 to 8 at the Third Committee of the U.N. General Assembly in October.
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He planned to conduct hearings with government officials, journalists and citizen activists versed in disclosure of information with regard to the secrecy law and other topics related to freedom of expression in Japan, according to Kaye and Yuichi Kaido, a lawyer who planned to support him during his visit.
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The U.N. Human Rights Committee expressed concerns about the secrecy law last year.
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In response to Friday's request by the Japanese government to postpone the visit, he urged it to reconsider the decision. But Tokyo provided notification of the decision again on Tuesday, according to Kaye.
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"Japan as a government and as a country is, generally speaking, very respectful of freedom of expression," said Kaye.
"We look at things that are worth celebrating, perhaps as a model that other countries could follow," he said, adding, "We also identify areas where there might be some concerns."
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.
David Kaye, U.N. special rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, told Kyodo News he hopes he "can continue t...o work with the (Japanese) government" and that he has always had good interactions with it.
.
The rare cancellation by the government of an official visit drew criticism among his supporters that the government is seeking to hinder him from taking up such issues as the secrecy law for the prevention of leaks of state secrets.
.
Under the contentious law that took effect last year, civil servants or others who leak designated secrets will face up to 10 years in prison, and those who instigate leaks, including journalists, will be subject to a prison term of up to five years.
.
"We will rearrange the schedule because we couldn't make full preparations to accept the visit due to budget compilation and other reasons," said an official of the Foreign Ministry that coordinated the visit.
.
While Kaye said "the government has said that they wanted to postpone the visit until the autumn," the ministry declined to confirm it.
.Kaye announced his planned visit to Japan from Dec. 1 to 8 at the Third Committee of the U.N. General Assembly in October.
.
He planned to conduct hearings with government officials, journalists and citizen activists versed in disclosure of information with regard to the secrecy law and other topics related to freedom of expression in Japan, according to Kaye and Yuichi Kaido, a lawyer who planned to support him during his visit.
.
The U.N. Human Rights Committee expressed concerns about the secrecy law last year.
.
In response to Friday's request by the Japanese government to postpone the visit, he urged it to reconsider the decision. But Tokyo provided notification of the decision again on Tuesday, according to Kaye.
.
"Japan as a government and as a country is, generally speaking, very respectful of freedom of expression," said Kaye.
"We look at things that are worth celebrating, perhaps as a model that other countries could follow," he said, adding, "We also identify areas where there might be some concerns."
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