The Upper House on Friday passed legislation criminalizing the desecration of Japan\u2019s national flag, with support from parts of the opposition despite concerns that the measure could infringe on freedom of expression.<\/p>\n
The law will punish anyone who publicly damages, removes or defaces the flag in a way deemed likely to cause \u201cextreme discomfort or disgust to others.\u201d<\/p>\n
Set to take effect in early August, the law states violators could face up to two years in prison or a fine of up to \u00a5200,000 ($1,250).<\/p>\n
\u201cInsulting the national flag undermines the dignity of the country and hurts citizens who hold it dearly,\u201d Mizuho Umemura, a Sanseito lawmaker, told the Upper House plenary session the same day, adding that a legislature must set a clear standard.<\/p>\n
The bill defines the flag as a tangible object generally recognized under the Act on the National Flag and National Anthem. It is expected to exclude miniature flags used to decorate food, as well as depictions of the flag in paintings, manga, anime, video games and works generated using artificial intelligence.<\/p>\n
The Democratic Party for the People (DPP), which co-sponsored the bill after securing the removal of a provision that would have punished individuals for recording their own act of flag desecration and sharing the footage online, backed it in the Upper House after sitting out the Lower House vote in June<\/a>.<\/p>\n Sanseito also voted for the legislation alongside the DPP and the ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party and the Japan Innovation Party (also known as Nippon Ishin no Kai).<\/p>\n