Which takes precedence: freedom of the press or the safety of potential targets of terrorist attacks?
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda indicated Monday that the government will prioritize the latter, saying he will no longer respond to media inquiries on whether the government has obtained information on specific plans for terrorist attacks on Japanese in Iraq.
The same policy can be applied to information on suspected plans for terrorist attacks in Japan, although the government will make a final decision on a case-by-case basis, the top government spokesman told his regularly scheduled news conference.