Normative Theory of Intimate Sphere and Public Sphere in Democracy

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 21K01137
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 05020:Public law-related
• Research Institution: Kansai University
• Principal Investigator: Takasaku Masahiro 関西大学, 法学部, 教授 (80295287)
• Project Period (FY): 2021-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 私的生活の尊重の権利 / プライバシー権 / 民主主義 / 法律の留保 / 親密圏 / 公共圏

Outline of Final Research Achievements

I pursued the possibility of treating the right to privacy, as well as freedom of thought and conscience and freedom of expression, as meaningful rights in Japanese law for the maintenance of democracy. I have developed a study of the concept of the “right to respect for private life” (right to privacy) in French law, analysis of French Constitutional Court precedents, legal regulation of surveillance measures and information gathering activities against individuals, and the necessity of the “right to respect for private life” for the maintenance of democracy. As a result, I was able to clarify the point that in Japan, both the degree of “reservations of the law” (restrictions based on legal grounds) and the control over intelligence-gathering agencies are inadequate.

Free Research Field

憲法

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

本研究は、プライバシー権の重要性を民主主義との関係で明らかにしようとする点に意義を有する。自由な政治活動や政治的言論を行うためには、自らの言論や思想を形成する領域としての「私生活」が、国家からの介入を免れることが必要である。しかし、日本では、国家による情報収集活動は、法律の根拠も不十分で、裁判所による統制も免れてきた。そこで、フランス法等の議論を参考に、日本法の再検討を行ったのが本研究の成果である。