The state secrets law gives heads of administrative bodies almost limitless discretionary power over what information — in the fields of diplomacy, defense, counterintelligence and counter-terrorism — should be designated as secrets.
But it contains no oversight mechanism to scrutinize these decisions. This omission opens the door to government abuse of the state secrets law, such as using it to hide information that the public has a right to know and suppressing freedom of the press.
After the law was enacted Dec. 6, Diet members from the Liberal Democratic Party, New Komeito, the Democratic Party of Japan, Nippon Ishin-no Kai (Japan Restoration Party) and Your Party traveled to the United States, Britain and Germany from Jan. 12 to 19 to study their oversight mechanisms for scrutinizing the designation of secrets.