Right to Know
Information Disclosure
Thank you for visiting my website.
I had the opportunity to meet some Japanese civil liberties lawyers in 1981 and they taught me the importance of people's “right to know.” They were members of the Japan Civil Liberties Union (JCLU), which was established in 1947, the same year that Japan’s democratic constitution came into force.
In those days, JCLU members and other Japanese democracy activists were busy advocating that Japan adopt an “Information Disclosure Law,” to enable anyone to request that government agencies disclose information in their files.
Since then, I have continued my research on the achievements of Japan’s democracy activists. I am very happy to report that more than seventy years after its founding, the JCLU remains a vital force in promoting democratic government.
This website introduces my own writings, the "Courtroom Notes Case" that opened Japan’s courts to spectator reporting, and other topics in Japanese law.
Lawrence Repeta
March 1989
BOOK TOUR !
“Japan's Prisoners of Conscience“
- Protest and Law During the Iraq War -
This book tells the story of the arrests and criminal prosecution of three peaceful protesters in Japan designated “Prisoners of Conscience” by Amnesty International during the Iraq War. While transporting readers into protest gatherings and courtrooms, it examines the larger issues raised by the police crackdown and its impact on the rule of law in a democratic society.
Based on interviews with defendants, lawyers and eyewitnesses and other Japanese language sources, the book carries rich descriptions of the individuals at the heart of the story, including the charismatic leader of the "Tachikawa Tent Village" who has been protesting since U.S. military forces were stationed in her hometown in the early post-war era.
The book also offers expert insights into the roles of the police, the news media, and the legal profession in shaping the right to free political speech in Japan.
Among many positive reviews, Harvard’s Professor Andrew Gordon wrote, “In Repeta’s capable hands the tale of victories, reversals, and limited vindication of the defendants offers a clear-eyed warning of the challenges to free speech faced by Japanese society today.”
BOOK REVIEW
“Japan's Prisoners of Conscience“
- Protest and Law During the Iraq War -
The Journal of Japanese Studies, Volume 50, Number 1, Winter 2024 , pp. 222-226 (Review)
Professor Daniel Foote of the University of Tokyo reviewed Japan's Prisoners of Conscience in the Journal of Japanese Studies.
With Hiroshi Miyake, an advocate of open government in Japan and former president of the Daini Tokyo Bar Association. "Right to Know" is written by Mr. Miyake, who is also a calligrapher.
Contact
Please contact me for inquiries and requests for speaking engagements.