On the 20th, a total of 169 people, including six academics and legal scholars, whose appointments were refused regarding former Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga’s refusal to appoint members of the Science Council of Japan in 2020, were asked by the government to document the decision process. They filed a lawsuit with the Tokyo District Court, arguing that it is illegal not to disclose public documents that have been made public. After filing the lawsuit, the plaintiffs held a press conference in Tokyo for the first time and made public for the first time an official document in which the names and titles of six people were listed under the words “persons who should be removed.” “I will make it happen,” he said.
Official document disclosed for the first time by the plaintiff at a press conference after filing the lawsuit
◆“An attempt to hide the arbitrary refusal of appointment”
According to the complaint and other documents, in response to requests for the disclosure of official documents describing the decision-making process, the Cabinet Secretariat and the Cabinet Office almost always “non-disclosed” citing “non-existence” and “a fear of hindering fair and smooth personnel appointment.” ” was decided. The plaintiffs claim that this is an attempt to cover up the arbitrary refusal of appointment. “Given that an important political decision was made, it is unreasonable and unacceptable for the decision-making process and criteria not to be made clear,” the statement said.
Ryuichi Ozawa (right) and others who filed suit demanding disclosure of information after his appointment was denied at the Judicial Press Club in Kasumigaseki, Tokyo.
Prior to filing the lawsuit, the plaintiffs complained of the non-disclosure decision and filed a request for review with the Information Disclosure and Personal Information Protection Review Board of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. The review board found that it was appropriate not to disclose most of the documents, but recommended that some should be disclosed. In response to this, the Cabinet Office and other organizations disclosed an official document stating that the person should be removed. The government presented the document to the members of the House of Councilors Budget Committee in December 2020 after the issue was discovered, and then-Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Kazuhiro Sugita explained that it was a document that recorded the contents of the communication to the Cabinet Office in September, but at that time People’s names and titles were blacked out.
◆Communication from the Prime Minister’s Office during the Abe administration
Another official document containing the names and titles of the six people, the letters “R2, 6, 12,” and a large cross across it was also disclosed at the press conference. The document is said to record the contents of a communication from the prime minister’s office to the Science Council secretariat in June 2020 during the Abe administration, about three months before former Prime Minister Suga approved his appointment in September 2020.
Ryuichi Ozawa, a professor of constitutional law at the Jikei University School of Medicine and one of the people who was denied the appointment, said at a press conference, “The government is not fulfilling its accountability.Uncovering the truth in court is also in order to protect the sovereignty of the people.” he emphasized.
The Cabinet Secretariat and the Cabinet Office issued a statement saying, “Since we have not confirmed the complaint, we will refrain from commenting.” (Rieko Ota)
2024-02-20 11:21:10
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