The ruling Liberal Democratic Party has presented a draft bill proposing penalties for both public vandalism of the Japanese national flag and the posting of related videos and images on social media, but it withheld approval amid concerns over freedom of expression. | GETTY IMAGES

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Friday presented a draft outline of a bill that calls for punishing not only public vandalism of Japan's national flag but also sharing images of such acts on social media.

After discussing the draft at a project team meeting, the LDP stopped short of approving it due to a number of cautious opinions from attendees, mainly related to concerns over freedom of expression.

The outline also calls for penalties of up to two years in prison or fines of up to ¥200,000 ($1,262) for individuals who publicly damage the flag.

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