Those who fear for privacy rights in Japan call it a major blow. But the Japanese parliament has given police broad wiretapping powers they have sought in their battles against organized crime. It takes effect within a year.
The law is said to be similar to wiretap laws in other countries. But memories of secret police brutality in World War II and 1950s/1960s crackdowns against radical students and labor unions made many Japanese reluctant to broaden police powers today.
Lawmakers opposing the powers tried in the upper house of Parliament to delay the vote, including using tactics such as the "cow walk," in which moved extremely slow or not at all to place their ballots.
The measure passed the upper house 142-99. Already changed to appease critics, the law requires police to get court permission for any and each wiretap, and can be used in murder or smuggling (drugs, weapons, or people) cases. Wiretapping attorneys, medical professionals, and religious officials are restricted under the law.
The law further requires the government to report details of all wiretapping, including the wiretap target, how long the target was kept under surveillance, and whether or not the tap led to any arrest.
Two other bills in the wiretapping law packet call for stiffer penalties in cases involving Japan's organized crime syndicates and for more acute witness protection.
But that does not always mollify critics of the packet. ``We cannot but feel the sense of danger that people's freedom and privacy are being violated,'' the national newspaper Asahi said in an editorial on Thursday. But Japan's Justice Minister says the law will be applied "appropriately and effectively".
The measure was so controversial that it provoked a bid Wednesday for a no-confidence vote against Japan's Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi. That bid failed, as did an upper house filibuster prior to the go-slow voting tactics.
