Press freedom in Japan

　　日本资讯自由

　　A PARADISE for spies is how a former agent of the Soviet KGB described Japan in the1980s. Little has changed, though now the politicians and bureaucrats more often passinformation to journalists than to foreign agents. But this autumn Shinzo Abe, the primeminister, is trying to stop the leaks by passing a forceful new secrecy law, even as he seeksto pass economic reforms as part of his programme of measures known as Abenomics. Healso wants to legislate for a new national security council in order to centralise intelligenceinformation and speed decisions on national security. New rules on secrecy are needed forit to function well, says the government. The media, fearful for press freedom, are cryingfoul.

　　间谍的天堂，在80年代，潜伏日本苏联克格勃特工如此称呼这个国度。到如今，天堂依然是天堂，只不过相比外国特工，政客与官员现在更多是把消息透露给记者。但这个秋天，安倍晋三首相决意推动一部新的强有力的保密法案，希望以此止住泄密。其认真程度，不下于他推动安倍经济学中的经济改革法案。他还想设立一个国家安全委员会，用以集中情报信息，便于对国家安全问题做出快速决策。政府称，国家安全委员会需要新保密法案的支持。为资讯自由担忧的媒体界高呼此举违规。

　　Japan is much less punitive than other countries towards leakers. Civil servants who breachrules on confidentiality are currently liable to just one year in prison. Only officials ofJapans Self Defence Forces face the possibility of stricter punishment: five years for leakingdefence secrets, or ten if they are gleaned from Japans security pact with America.

　　相比其他国家，日本对泄密者的惩罚较轻。违规泄密的公务员只会被判一年徒刑。只有自卫队的官员会遭受更严厉的惩罚：泄露军事机密判5年，收集日美军事关系情报的判10年。

　　The gap widened after the events of September 11th 2001, when security elsewherebecame tighter. This year America used its Espionage Act of 1917 to hand down a 35-yearprison sentence to Bradley Manning, a former soldier, for passing information to theWikiLeaks website. Previous Japanese governments have tried to clamp down, but memoriesof the feared wartime secrecy regime have caused moves to tighten the law to be blocked.

　　2001年911之后，全球各地的安全局势变得紧张，而对军人泄密的惩罚也随之加重。今年，美国依照1917年制定的《反间谍法》，判处了布拉德利曼宁35五年监禁。这位曾经的军人因向维基解密网站提供情报而获罪。日本前几任的政府都曾努力推动类似法案，但由于对战时保密制度的恐惧记忆犹新，法案受到了阻挠。

　　Japans allies, especially America, complain that information entrusted to it is too oftenleaked, says Nobutaka Machimura, a former foreign minister who heads the ruling LiberalDemocratic Partys task-force on the law. If passed, the bill would apply to all civil servantsand to high-ranking politicians. Special secrets would be designated in three new fields ofdiplomacy, counter-espionage and counter-terrorism . Thepenalty for leaksalso applied to those who encourage breaches, such asjournalistswould be up to ten years in prison. Further details are scant, but the billreportedly lacks important provisions, including independent review of what can be calledsecret, and a clear limit on the period of confidentiality.

　　前任外务大臣，负责自民党这次立法行动的町村信孝说，日本的盟国，尤其是美国，都抱怨说委托给日本的情报泄密过于频繁。如果法案得以通过，那将适用于所有公务员，包括高级别的政治家。特秘情报包括外交、反间谍与反恐三方面。对泄密者的惩罚包括鼓动泄密的，譬如记者将是十年徒刑。具体细节仍然未知，但据说法案缺少一些重要条款，包括对机密定义的独立审查，以及保密期长的限制。

　　That means the government could keep far more information under the veil than isnecessary, says Kiyoshi Gojima, deputy managing director of Sankei Shimbun, anewspaper. The public would have less access to information than before, to some degreereversing a campaign in recent years for greater government transparency.

　　《产经资讯》副社长Kiyoshi Gojima称，这样的法案意味着政府可能会秘密掌握太多信息，超出必要数目。公众知情权更少了，这是对近年来要求更大政府透明度之潮流的一种颠覆。

　　In the field of diplomacy, for instance, the contents and outcome of summit meetingscould be kept firmly secret. Last month, Norika Fujiwara, a television celebrity, warned thatinformation relating to radiation from the meltdown at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plantin 2011 could be ruled off limits by the new law. An adviser to Mr Abe denied this wouldhappen.

　　以外交领域为例，首脑级会议的内容与结果都将保密。电视明星藤原纪香上个月警告说，与2011年福岛核电站第一反应堆泄露有关的信息也将为新法所禁。安倍的一名顾问否认了这一点。

　　Another risk is that public officials will stop talking to journalists entirely, says Mr Gojima.That would be a big shift from the current system of privileged press clubs, in whichreporters have special channels to sources in the government and bureaucracy who pass oninside information. The current system needs reform, says Koichi Nakano of SophiaUniversity, but there is no need to jump to the other extreme.

　　另一风险是，公职官员会完全停止与记者的往来，Gojima如是说。这将极大地改变现有的特权资讯俱乐部体系，记者将再难通过特殊渠道从政府机构获取信息。现有体系是需要改革，但也不需要走到另一个极端，上智大学政治学教授中野晃一如是说。

　　The final bill is expected to state the publics right to know, and to include a commitment topress freedom. The LDPs coalition partner, New Komeito, will insist on such amendments.But public opinion seems to be firmly against the law, so Mr Abe may face resistance, eventhough his government has a majority in both houses of parliament. One unwelcomeoutcome would be if the bill diverts government attention from economic reforms.

　　法案的最终版本将涉及公众知情权，并包括对资讯自由的承诺。自民党的盟友新公明党将致力于完成这些修正。但公众坚决反对这项方案。即便安倍在国会两院都坐拥多数席位，他的前方仍有阻碍。如果这项法案分散了在经济改革上的专注，那结果就不妙了。

　　Press freedom in Japan

　　日本资讯自由

　　A PARADISE for spies is how a former agent of the Soviet KGB described Japan in the1980s. Little has changed, though now the politicians and bureaucrats more often passinformation to journalists than to foreign agents. But this autumn Shinzo Abe, the primeminister, is trying to stop the leaks by passing a forceful new secrecy law, even as he seeksto pass economic reforms as part of his programme of measures known as Abenomics. Healso wants to legislate for a new national security council in order to centralise intelligenceinformation and speed decisions on national security. New rules on secrecy are needed forit to function well, says the government. The media, fearful for press freedom, are cryingfoul.

　　间谍的天堂，在80年代，潜伏日本苏联克格勃特工如此称呼这个国度。到如今，天堂依然是天堂，只不过相比外国特工，政客与官员现在更多是把消息透露给记者。但这个秋天，安倍晋三首相决意推动一部新的强有力的保密法案，希望以此止住泄密。其认真程度，不下于他推动安倍经济学中的经济改革法案。他还想设立一个国家安全委员会，用以集中情报信息，便于对国家安全问题做出快速决策。政府称，国家安全委员会需要新保密法案的支持。为资讯自由担忧的媒体界高呼此举违规。

　　Japan is much less punitive than other countries towards leakers. Civil servants who breachrules on confidentiality are currently liable to just one year in prison. Only officials ofJapans Self Defence Forces face the possibility of stricter punishment: five years for leakingdefence secrets, or ten if they are gleaned from Japans security pact with America.

　　相比其他国家，日本对泄密者的惩罚较轻。违规泄密的公务员只会被判一年徒刑。只有自卫队的官员会遭受更严厉的惩罚：泄露军事机密判5年，收集日美军事关系情报的判10年。

　　The gap widened after the events of September 11th 2001, when security elsewherebecame tighter. This year America used its Espionage Act of 1917 to hand down a 35-yearprison sentence to Bradley Manning, a former soldier, for passing information to theWikiLeaks website. Previous Japanese governments have tried to clamp down, but memoriesof the feared wartime secrecy regime have caused moves to tighten the law to be blocked.

　　2001年911之后，全球各地的安全局势变得紧张，而对军人泄密的惩罚也随之加重。今年，美国依照1917年制定的《反间谍法》，判处了布拉德利曼宁35五年监禁。这位曾经的军人因向维基解密网站提供情报而获罪。日本前几任的政府都曾努力推动类似法案，但由于对战时保密制度的恐惧记忆犹新，法案受到了阻挠。

　　Japans allies, especially America, complain that information entrusted to it is too oftenleaked, says Nobutaka Machimura, a former foreign minister who heads the ruling LiberalDemocratic Partys task-force on the law. If passed, the bill would apply to all civil servantsand to high-ranking politicians. Special secrets would be designated in three new fields ofdiplomacy, counter-espionage and counter-terrorism . Thepenalty for leaksalso applied to those who encourage breaches, such asjournalistswould be up to ten years in prison. Further details are scant, but the billreportedly lacks important provisions, including independent review of what can be calledsecret, and a clear limit on the period of confidentiality.

　　前任外务大臣，负责自民党这次立法行动的町村信孝说，日本的盟国，尤其是美国，都抱怨说委托给日本的情报泄密过于频繁。如果法案得以通过，那将适用于所有公务员，包括高级别的政治家。特秘情报包括外交、反间谍与反恐三方面。对泄密者的惩罚包括鼓动泄密的，譬如记者将是十年徒刑。具体细节仍然未知，但据说法案缺少一些重要条款，包括对机密定义的独立审查，以及保密期长的限制。

　　That means the government could keep far more information under the veil than isnecessary, says Kiyoshi Gojima, deputy managing director of Sankei Shimbun, anewspaper. The public would have less access to information than before, to some degreereversing a campaign in recent years for greater government transparency.

　　《产经资讯》副社长Kiyoshi Gojima称，这样的法案意味着政府可能会秘密掌握太多信息，超出必要数目。公众知情权更少了，这是对近年来要求更大政府透明度之潮流的一种颠覆。

　　In the field of diplomacy, for instance, the contents and outcome of summit meetingscould be kept firmly secret. Last month, Norika Fujiwara, a television celebrity, warned thatinformation relating to radiation from the meltdown at the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plantin 2011 could be ruled off limits by the new law. An adviser to Mr Abe denied this wouldhappen.

　　以外交领域为例，首脑级会议的内容与结果都将保密。电视明星藤原纪香上个月警告说，与2011年福岛核电站第一反应堆泄露有关的信息也将为新法所禁。安倍的一名顾问否认了这一点。

　　Another risk is that public officials will stop talking to journalists entirely, says Mr Gojima.That would be a big shift from the current system of privileged press clubs, in whichreporters have special channels to sources in the government and bureaucracy who pass oninside information. The current system needs reform, says Koichi Nakano of SophiaUniversity, but there is no need to jump to the other extreme.

　　另一风险是，公职官员会完全停止与记者的往来，Gojima如是说。这将极大地改变现有的特权资讯俱乐部体系，记者将再难通过特殊渠道从政府机构获取信息。现有体系是需要改革，但也不需要走到另一个极端，上智大学政治学教授中野晃一如是说。

　　The final bill is expected to state the publics right to know, and to include a commitment topress freedom. The LDPs coalition partner, New Komeito, will insist on such amendments.But public opinion seems to be firmly against the law, so Mr Abe may face resistance, eventhough his government has a majority in both houses of parliament. One unwelcomeoutcome would be if the bill diverts government attention from economic reforms.

　　法案的最终版本将涉及公众知情权，并包括对资讯自由的承诺。自民党的盟友新公明党将致力于完成这些修正。但公众坚决反对这项方案。即便安倍在国会两院都坐拥多数席位，他的前方仍有阻碍。如果这项法案分散了在经济改革上的专注，那结果就不妙了。