Japanese Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama pledged Nov. 18  to extend posthumous copyright protection in Japan from the current 50 years to 70 years.

Speaking at a party held at a Tokyo hotel marking the 70th anniversary of the establishment of Japanese authors’ society JASRAC, Hatoyama – whose Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) on Aug. 30 scored a decisive triumph over the long-ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) – stopped short of laying out an exact timetable for the change, which has long been sought by JASRAC and other local rights-holders.

Noting that it was appropriate to announce the change to a 70-year posthumous protection term at JASRAC’s 70th anniversary party, Hatoyama said the DPJ would “work toward” the necessary revision of the Copyright Law.

In a subsequent speech, former LDP Prime Minister Yoshiro Mori said the LDP also supports the 70-year extension, but in a partisan jibe, wondered whether the Hatoyama cabinet would be in power long enough to effect the change.