Government secrets will be kept to a minimum and disclosed as quickly as possible, the Abe administration vowed Thursday in an outline of new rules for designating and disclosing "special secrets" under the controversial secrecy law.
The law caused a public uproar amid fears that it will undermine the public's right to know in a nation where the press is controlled by a "kisha club" system and disclosure is already hard to come by.
Under the proposed rules, the administration will set up a system that can impose strict checks on how the law will be applied, but critics believe it will be ineffective as the mechanism will remain under government control and lack independent oversight.