Civil servants placed in charge of information management could be punished under the newly enacted secrecy law if secrets leak due to cyberattacks, an internal government document said Monday.
The document, compiled in November 2011, is a record of discussions between the Foreign Ministry and the Cabinet Intelligence and Research Office, the intelligence-collection agency that oversees the secrecy law, when it was in the process of being drafted.
Responding to a question from the ministry on whether officials could be held liable after safety control measures have been taken, the research office said they "could, in general terms, be responsible for intentional or negligent failure to act."