An American expert on classification policy has said that Japan's recently enacted secrecy law lacks proper checks and balances that are necessary to prevent bureaucratic overreach and ensure government accountability.
Speaking in a recent interview, Thomas Blanton, director of the National Security Archive at George Washington University, said, "This act on specially designated secrets . . . I don't see an appeals process at all."
Blanton said appeals processes for declassification are necessary to balance potential damage to national security with the public's right to knowledge and government transparency.