The Osaka High Court on Wednesday upheld two lower court rulings that ordered the state to disclose some documents on so-called secret funds, saying the content, if declassified, would not be sensitive enough to interfere with national affairs.

In the lawsuits, civic group members sought the disclosure of documents on the use of about ¥250 million ($2.2 million) in secret funds in September 2009, as well as about ¥1.1 billion used from October 2005 to September 2006 when Shinzo Abe was serving as the chief Cabinet secretary.

The secret funds, disbursed under the authority of the chief Cabinet secretary, are known to be outlays for intelligence gathering and other activities in the national interest. But how the funds are actually spent is not made public and doubts linger over whether they are properly used.