The Justice Ministry has decided in principle to exempt the media from being wiretapped in a bill currently before the Diet, ministry sources said Tuesday.

The bill, part of a package of measures targeting organized crime, will allow law enforcement authorities to monitor communications during investigations of organized crime.

The ministry's decision is in response to criticism that the monitoring of telephone, fax and e-mail between journalists and sources suspected of involvement in organized crime would violate the freedom of the press and its right to protect the privacy of sources, they said.

But the exact scope of the media's exemption from wiretapping has yet to be made clear, and the ministry's move is viewed by some as a concession to the media while the wiretapping bill is in the final stage of Diet deliberations.

Under the bill, prosecutors and police -- ranked superintendent or above -- with court warrants will be allowed to wiretap private communications during investigations of crimes involving drugs, guns, premeditated murder by groups or mass smuggling of illegal immigrants into Japan.

The bill exempts doctors, dentists, nurses, midwives, lawyers, patent agents, notary publics and religious advisers from being wiretapped, but not journalists.

However, the Justice Ministry says it would not allow investigators to monitor telephone lines registered by the press even if it learned in advance that suspected members of organized crime groups may reveal tips.

The ministry also said it would stop monitoring the conversation of a suspect on a warrant if the suspect received a phone call from a member of the press as part of reporting activities.

However, the authorities would continue to monitor a suspect's line if the suspect calls the media and confesses to participating in an organized crime, they said.

Within the media, concern is growing that wiretapping of their communications with suspects would effectively limit their reporting activities because news sources could not be kept secret.

The wiretapping bill was endorsed by the Lower House on June 1 and is currently being deliberated in the Upper House, where a public hearing is scheduled for today.

The ruling Liberal Democratic Party, its coalition partner, the Liberal Party, and their ally, New Komeito, are reportedly aiming to vote on the bills Thursday at the Upper House Judicial Affairs Committee, but opposition parties are striving to stop the package from being approved.