Japan has decided not to disclose the minutes of the new National Security Council's meetings from December to March to avoid compromising Japan's intelligence gathering capabilities and national security, a document obtained Thursday said.

The government decided on May 1 not to make the minutes public because it could hurt the trust Japan has earned from other countries and international organizations, according to the document, which was made available based on the information disclosure law.

In the past, the government has restricted information on the minutes of expert meetings on the contentious secrecy law. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said last month that diplomacy and security information might be excluded from public disclosure for national security reasons.

Japan launched the U.S.-style NSC to speed up policy decisions on diplomacy and defense last December. The NSC discusses topics including basic foreign and security policies and regional concerns, such as North Korea's nuclear weapons and missile development programs.