Abe brushes off fears of threats to civil rights via "conspiracy" bill

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe dismissed Thursday opposition parties' concerns that a contentious bill that would punish the planning of certain crimes, ostensibly as a counterterrorism measure, could threaten civil rights."It is completely unnecessary to be concerned that (the bill will lead to) investigative bodies watching the public's movements," he said during the first day of formal debate on the bill in the House of Representatives.The government says the bill revamps three previous "conspiracy bills" that flopped amid concerns they could lead to human rights abuses including the…READ FULL ARTICLE