Since around last year, there has been a noticeable increase in the number of security drills and publicity campaigns by police and other organizations in the name of summit security and anti-terrorism measures in preparation for the Hiroshima summit. These activities, involving transportation systems, local governments, and others, have given the impression that any opposition to the summit is “terrorism,” and may create an atmosphere that will not tolerate any opposition at all. In Hiroshima, where the summit meeting will be held, Mazda has closed its plants and headquarters, suspended the professional baseball tournament, required hotels in Hiroshima to stop booking new reservations, imposed traffic restrictions on the day of the meeting, restricted entry to Peace Memorial Park, and voluntarily ceased holding events. The situation is so bizarre that it could be described as martial law.
On January 31, a maritime security drill by the 6th Regional Coast Guard Headquarters was reported in the media. The drill was conducted under the assumption that a protest ship had entered the waters near the summit venue. A person holding a placard saying “Cancel the summit” from this dummy protest ship was reported on the news. (Hiroshima TV News, January 31; NHK also broadcast on February 12 about a drill in a similar situation.)
As a result, these news reports gave a positive impression of the police’s intention to deem expressions such as placards demanding the “cancellation of the summit” as terrorism.
From the pattern of these news reports, we cannot help but conclude that the police and other law enforcement agencies consider the display of placards calling for the “cancellation of the summit” to be “terrorism” in effect, and are cracking down on such activities. This is an abuse of power by the police and other law enforcement agencies, and is clearly antagonistic to freedom of speech and expression.
Article 21 of the Constitution affirms that “Freedom of assembly and association as well as speech, press and all other forms of expression are guaranteed”. Article 21 makes no reservations or preconditions such as “public welfare”. In other words, the right to oppose the government is a right of the utmost importance. Therefore, the government is obligated to guarantee our freedom of speech and expression at all times.
Rallies, demonstrations, and protests with placards demanding the cancellation of the G7 summit are our constitutionally guaranteed freedom of assembly, speech, and other forms of expression, and no restrictions should be placed on them on the basis of the G7 meeting. In fact, it is a violation of the Constitution for the government to hold a G7 meeting that cannot guarantee our basic human rights, and it must be cancelled.
Since ministerial-level meetings are held in various parts of the country, nationwide police and other organizations routinely conduct drills and excessive surveillance and vigilance activities under the guise of anti-terrorism measures. Even after the summit is over, it is expected that these surveillance activities by the police and others will continue, and our right to civil liberties will be further curtailed.
On the other hand, the mass media should be more concerned about the fact that the police’s anti-terrorism activities may infringe on the rights to civil liberties such as speech and expression guaranteed in the Constitution. And without efforts to be interested in and report not only on the police, but also on the movements that oppose or raise objections, it will not be possible to maintain fairness in the reporting of news. The press should be more concerned about the rights of civil liberties.
February 20, 2023
Executive Committee of the Citizens’ Rally to Question the G7 Hiroshima Summit