Japan Press Weekly

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2022 April 20 - 26 [POLITICS]

Shii calls for public opposition to Defense Ministry’s recognition of antiwar protest as gray-zone emergency

Japanese Communist Party Chair Shii Kazuo on April 21 at a press conference in the Diet building appealed for the need to create a movement in order to stop the Defense Ministry from regarding antiwar demonstrators as its enemy and antiwar demonstrations as one of the “gray zone” emergencies subject to government control under the national security-related legislation.

Shii referred to Diet questioning by JCP member of the House of Representatives Kokuta Keiji two days earlier which revealed that materials describing antiwar demonstrations as gray zone threats were shared within the Ground Self-Defense Force for more than two years since 2020 when then GSDF head Yuasa Goro used the materials in his lecture.

Shii pointed out that Kokuta’s Diet efforts also made public that SDF troops across Japan have conducted training exercises aimed at suppressing antiwar protests.

Shii said that it is very serious that the Defense Ministry sees “antiwar demonstrations” and “critical news reports” as “gray zone contingencies”. Explaining that the national security-related legislation defines “gray zone contingency” as a situation where Japan becomes a target of an enemy country’s hostile activities short of military operations, Shii said that the ministry enumerated “antiwar protests” and “critical news reports” as examples of “enemy’s tactics” to attack Japan.

Shii pointed out that the Putin-led Russian administration is cracking down on news coverage and civil movements which are critical of the government by designating them as “foreign agents’ activities”. He criticized the Defense Ministry for intending to do the same as the Putin administration.

Past related articles:
> Defense Ministry views 'news reports' as potential gray zone contingencies in addition to 'antiwar demonstrations' [April 2, 2022]
> Defense Ministry saw antiwar demonstrators as potential mob [March 31, 2022]