With less than three months to go until the contentious secrecy law takes effect in December, Japan faces the daunting task of finding the right balance between national security and the public's right to know.

The law will toughen the penalties for leaking state secrets, addressing criticism that Japan is too lenient on people who divulge sensitive information, including journalists. This will ease information exchanges with foreign countries.

Public opposition to the legislation remains strong amid criticism that it is vaguely worded and will thus reduce public access to information kept by the government.