We
Oppose the State Secrets Protection Bill and Demand Its Immediate Withdrawal
(December 6, 2013)
We
oppose and demand the immediate withdrawal of the state secrets protection
bill, which aims to restrict the human rights of we the sovereign people of
Japan, including the right to seek and receive information, the freedom of
speech and expression, the freedom of thought, conscience and religion, and the
freedom of association. This bill was abruptly proposed in this diet session
and was repeatedly forced through legislative process without adequate debate,
disregarding democratic procedure. As pastors of Christian churches, we stand
upon the following words of the Bible—“the truth shall make you free”—and
preach the importance of faith, strive for true freedom and peace, and live a
lifelong mission to love and serve God and our neighbors. On the other hand,
this bill, in the name of national security, restricts the freedom of the
people, creates a nation of secrecy that sows distrust among ourselves, pushes
people towards a nation that wages war, tramples upon on our consciences, and
opens up a way to eliminate people that hold specific thoughts and faiths. We,
who inherit the legacy of those who experienced religious persecution under the
Peace Preservation Law of 1925, are greatly alarmed by this bill and are dismayed
and angered by the bill’s legislative process, in which the government and
ruling parties employed methods that defied democratic procedure. Under such an
immature concept of democracy, which neglects the voice of minorities and holds
the force of numbers to be absolute, we Christians, who live as a minority, are
compelled to feel great apprehension towards the times that are to come.
Because of these reasons, we oppose this bill, which may be passed today, and
demand its immediate withdrawal.
December
6, 2013 Pastors Against the State Secrets Protection Bill
