TSU -- Takeshi Okamura, a member of this central Japan city's municipal assembly, said "children have neither rights nor obligations" during an all-hands meeting of the council, it has been learned.

The 74-year-old member of the Tsu Municipal Assembly and single-member faction Shiseikai made the remark during a question and answer session regarding a draft of policies focused on children, which the Tsu Municipal Government aims to create by March 2025. The city is preparing the "Tsu children's plan" in reference to Japan's "general principles for children" to comprehensively promote measures based on the country's Basic Act on Children's Policy.

Regarding the phrase "respecting the personality, individuality and rights of children and young people" included in the plan's basic principles, Okamura said during the Nov. 7 meeting, "Do children have personality? And what rights do children have?"

When a city official responded that "children's rights are human rights that people are born with," Okamura refuted, "Children do not have rights or obligations."

Okamura told the press in a Dec. 3 interview, "I don't think anything of it." He outlined his ideas, stating, "Rights and personality are both things that need to be developed. Basic human rights are something inherent from birth." He added, "I asked what they mean by 'rights of children' intending to encourage people to seriously think about these matters."

(Japanese original by Emi Shimomura, Tsu Bureau)