Security Police Law (治安警察法)
The Security Police Law was the law that once existed in Japan. In order to crack down on the labor movements which were rising after Japanese-Shino War, with a new role of regulating them it was enacted as the successor of Shukai oyobi Seisha Ho (the law on assembly and association), the major target of which had been to regulate political activities focusing on the Freedom and People's Rights Movement.
History
In 1900, it was enacted on February 23, promulgated on March 10 and enforced on March 30.
In 1922 and in 1926, it was partially amended. In 1945, it was repealed by 'the order of the abolition of the Security Police Law (the Imperial Edict of 1945, no. 638)' on November 21 on the order of the General Headquarters of the Allied Powers (GHQ) after the World War II.
Contents
It consists of 33 articles in total. It is known as a famous pre-World War II security legislation along with Maintenance of Public Order Law.
Article 17 was to regulate strikes but was eliminated by Taisho jugonen horitsu (the law of 1926), no 58. And Article 5 banned women along with military men, policemen, Shinto priests and teachers from political associations such as political parties and prohibited freedom of assembly and association including joining or hosting political speech meetings. So immediately after the law was enacted, the petition movement asking for the amendment began. The movement for the amendment to the law lasted and at last in March 1922 it led to the amendment of the second clause of Article 5 that prohibited freedom of assembly (the Association of New Women's campaign for the amendment to Security Police Law, Article 5).
However, the campaign for abolition of Security Police Law Article 5 was continued by mainly women's organizations after that because the first clause of Article 5 that prohibited women's freedom of association was not revised
In order to enforce this law and to crack down on the opposition, as the coercive and alerting police system was reinforced, the aspect of the police repression against citizen was also strengthened. And so was citizen's 'rugged' image of policemen.