Monthly Archives: September 2015

Say No To “My Number”

Civil Rights,

Put the implementation of the “My Number” system on hold!

From October 2015, the people living in Japan will get a notice in the post from the government, including foreigners. It will contain an ID number consisting of 12 digits.

All Japanese citizens and foreigners who reside in Japan will be included in the new system.

The government claims that the system is necessary “to manage information efficiently in the fields of social security, tax and disaster management.” But it will also cover many other issues, including giving the government access to data about bank accounts and even medical information.

There is also a controversial proposal to link the ID number to applications for reduced rates when the consumption tax will be increased from 8% to 10%. We can certainly imagine how the My Number system will continue to cause increased anxiety about privacy and personal integrity.

Consumers Union of Japan opposes the My Number system that allows the state to unify and centralize all information about citizens. We demand that the implementation of the system, which was decided on September 3, 2015, should be put on hold.

We ask that people should have the right to opt-out of the system and that compensation issues must be clarified. Individuals should not be forced to prove damage in the legal sense in cases of data leaks of ID number related information.

CUJ’s letter to protest the My Number System to Prime Minister Abe (J)

More details in The Japan Times: Ready or not, government will soon have your My Number (E)

Japanese Government explains the new Social Security and Tax Number System (E)

120,000 People Demonstrated Against War Bills, Or “Security Bills”?!

Civil Rights, ,

Consumers Union of Japan Demonstration for Article 9 in Tokyo 20150830120,000 People Demonstrated Against War Bills

By Sugiura Yoko, Consumers Union of Japan

I participated in the large demonstration outside Japan’s parliament on August 30, 2015, against the proposed war bills, demanding that the Abe government withdraw the bills. Our goal was that over 100,000 people would participate, but the organizers estimated that over 120,000 people showed up. It was the first time we brought the blue flag of our new group, Consumers and Citizens for Article 9. Together with Consumers Union of Japan’s green flag, we shouted our slogan, “We oppose the war bills!”

“It’s my first time to participate in a demonstration,” said a friend as we walked together in the light drizzle.

The demonstration in central Tokyo was one of more than 300 all over the country during the weekend protesting Abe’s move to loosen the post-war, pacifist constitution’s constraints on the military.

We oppose the legislation that would allow Japan’s military to fight overseas, and want to save Article 9 of the Constitution, the important peace clause that renounces war.

NHK’s main news broadcast that evening at 19:00 didn’t have our demonstration as the top news, but put it at third place. Anyway, my heart was beating hard as I watched the TV coverage of that important day’s event. During the demonstration I was also able to hand out information about our meeting on September 14 with guest speaker Ms. Uehara Hiroko, former mayor of Kunitachi City, a long-time peace activist from the consumer movement.

Name: “Thinking about the War Bills from the Viewpoint of Our Livelihood”

Place: Iidabashi Central Plaza, 16 Fl., Tokyo

Date: September 14, 2015

Time: 14:00-16:00

Entrance: 500 Yen

(This is a translation based on a Facebook post over at our new Japanese Facebook page, do have a look and please Like & Follow!)