A Lower House committee approved a bill Friday banning the desecration of the national flag, highlighting Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi¡¯s efforts to win over the growing ranks of conservative voters.

The proposed law, which is likely to be passed at a Lower House plenary session next week, would prohibit publicly damaging, removing or defacing the national flag in a way that ¡°causes extreme discomfort or disgust to others.¡± Violators would face up to two years in prison or a maximum fine of ?200,000 ($1,236), which would also apply to people who record and post such acts on social media.

The bill is expected to be enacted into law after a pending vote by the Upper House without much pushback, marking a clear win for Takaichi and the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. Its smooth passage would underscore a rightward shift in government, appealing to a swath of conservative voters that fueled Takaichi to the premiership and cemented her grip on power in a landslide election win.

¡°This is really the first big show of something that is from her that reflects her conservative, nationalist views on the country,¡± said Jeffrey Hall, a lecturer at Kanda University of International Studies who specializes in Japanese politics. ¡°It also reflects that after the recent election, the LDP has so much power that they don¡¯t really need to worry about opposition parties very much.¡±

Japan already outlaws the desecration of foreign flags but not its own, an imbalance pointed out by advocates of the bill. But critics ¡ª even within the ruling party ¡ª say the bill is unnecessary as instances of flag desecration in Japan are extremely rare, and the proposal encroaches on people¡¯s civil liberties.

To address that concern, the bill includes a safeguard clause which calls for taking care to not ¡°unduly infringe¡± on people¡¯s freedom of expression and other constitutional rights.

Several local media polls point to public support for the bill. About 57% of respondents backed it while 35% opposed, according to a joint poll by the Sankei newspaper and broadcaster FNN. Endorsement was particularly high among LDP supporters and those in the rightwing Sanseito party.

Nearly half of people polled by the Kyodo news agency felt that the law was necessary. In a survey by the Asahi newspaper, 52% said that flag desecration needed to be penalized, compared with 40% who didn¡¯t think so.