Japan debates new laws to protect Imperial Family from defamation

Japanese lawmakers and conservative groups are debating new legal measures to protect the Imperial Family from online defamation and slander. The movement follows recent amendments to the Imperial House Law, which will allow male members of former imperial branches to join the Imperial Family through adoption starting in October.

A conservative group within the Liberal Democratic Party, led by Representative Shigeharu Aoyama, has established an ‘Imperial Family Protection Project Team’ to consider legislative changes. One primary proposal is to change defamation and insult crimes against the Imperial Family from ‘complaint-based crimes’ (requiring the victim to file a charge) to ‘non-complaint-based crimes,’ allowing state authorities to prosecute without a direct complaint.

The Japan Conservative Party has also included similar measures in its policy platform. However, legal experts and critics warn that these changes could function as a de facto revival of the pre-war ‘Lèse-majesté’ law, which was abolished after World War II. Critics argue that shifting the focus from individual honor to the ‘dignity of the Imperial Family’ could grant the state power to control speech and infringe upon constitutional rights to freedom of expression.