Japan protests against U.N. privacy expert's queries on contentious bill

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe speaks on reports of the launch of a North Korean missile to reporters, at his official residence in Tokyo, Japan May 14, 2017. REUTERS/Toru Hanai

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan on Monday protested against a letter to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe from a U.N. independent expert raising concerns that planned legislation targeting conspiracies to commit terrorism and other crimes could allow police to trample civil liberties.

The protest by Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga drew a stiff rejoinder from Joseph Cannataci, U.N. special rapporteur on the right to privacy, who blasted Suga's comments as "angry words" with "no substance" in an email to Reuters.