OSAKA -- Passage of the freedom-of-information bill Friday was welcomed here with caution by members of supporting citizens' groups, who expressed concern over just how the law will be applied.
"Although the law isn't perfect because it does not specify the 'right to know,' it's something we've longed for and should be appreciated," said lawyer Mikio Sekine, a deputy director of the FOI team of the Osaka Bar Association.
"Valuable information is buried at the ministries like a treasure. Such information is an asset to taxpayers, but the bureaucrats have monopolized it so far," Sekine said. "Administrative information should have been disclosed to us, and information disclosure is necessary to vitalize democracy."