Japan eyes penalties for unauthorized land deals near SDF bases

The government has proposed a draft bill to introduce criminal penalties for the unauthorized transactions of land around important facilities, including Self-Defense Forces bases and on uninhabited border islands.

The bill to revise the law to regulate such land use and conduct related land surveys was presented to the ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Tuesday ahead of its planned submission to the current parliamentary session.

The draft says that areas within about 1,000 meters of SDF and Japan Coast Guard facilities considered vulnerable to drone attacks, along with uninhabited border islands, would be designated as regulated areas.

Land transactions in those areas would require prior approval from the central government. Violators could face up to three years in prison or a fine of up to ¥3 million.

The government is expected to approve the bill at a Cabinet meeting on Oct. 23.

The proposed revision would also add the Imperial Palace, the parliamentary building, the Prime Minister’s Office and government buildings for crisis management organizations to the list of important facilities around which regulated areas subject to land use surveys are designated.

Currently, the list mainly includes facilities related to the SDF, U.S. forces in Japan and the Japan Coast Guard.