Japan Cabinet approves guidelines on state secrets

Japan Cabinet approves guidelines on state secrets

TOKYO, Japan - (From L) Akira Amari, minister in charge of economic revitalization, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, and Taro Aso, deputy prime minister, attend a Cabinet meeting on Oct. 14, 2014, at the prime minister's office in Tokyo. The Cabinet approved guidelines on the handling of state secrets at the meeting before a controversial secrecy law that will toughen penalties on leakers takes effect in December.

Japan secrecy bill

Japan secrecy bill

TOKYO, Japan - People gather at Hibiya Open-Air Concert Hall in Tokyo on Dec. 6, 2013, for a rally to protest against a controversial bill being deliberated by the House of Councillors to toughen penalties for leakers of state secrets. The upper house enacted it later that day.

Japan secrecy bill

Japan secrecy bill

TOKYO, Japan - People fill Hibiya Open-Air Concert Hall in Tokyo on Dec. 6, 2013, at a rally to protest against a controversial bill being deliberated by the House of Councillors to toughen penalties for leakers of state secrets. The upper house enacted it later that day.

Japan secrecy bill

Japan secrecy bill

TOKYO, Japan - People hold messages at Hibiya Open-Air Concert Hall in Tokyo on Dec. 6, 2013, during a rally to protest against a controversial bill being deliberated by the House of Councillors to toughen penalties for leakers of state secrets. The upper house enacted it later that day.

Japan secrecy bill

Japan secrecy bill

TOKYO, Japan - People protest against a controversial bill being deliberated by the House of Councillors aimed at toughening penalties for leakers of state secrets, in front of the Diet building in Tokyo on Dec. 6, 2013.

Japan secrecy bill

Japan secrecy bill

TOKYO, Japan - People protest against a controversial bill being deliberated by the House of Councillors aimed at toughening penalties for leakers of state secrets, in front of the Diet building in Tokyo on Dec. 6, 2013.

Japan secrecy bill

Japan secrecy bill

TOKYO, Japan - People protest against a controversial bill being deliberated by the House of Councillors aimed at toughening penalties for leakers of state secrets, in front of the Diet building in Tokyo on Dec. 6, 2013.

Japan secrecy bill

Japan secrecy bill

TOKYO, Japan - People protest against a controversial bill being deliberated by the House of Councillors aimed at toughening penalties for leakers of state secrets, in front of the Diet building in Tokyo on Dec. 6, 2013.

Japan secrecy bill

Japan secrecy bill

TOKYO, Japan - People protest against a controversial bill being deliberated by the House of Councillors aimed at toughening penalties for leakers of state secrets, in front of the Diet building in Tokyo on Dec. 6, 2013.

Japan secrecy bill

Japan secrecy bill

TOKYO, Japan - People protest against a controversial bill being deliberated by the House of Councillors aimed at toughening penalties for leakers of state secrets, in front of the Diet building in Tokyo on Dec. 6, 2013.

Japan secrecy bill

Japan secrecy bill

TOKYO, Japan - People protest against a controversial bill being deliberated by the House of Councillors aimed at toughening penalties for leakers of state secrets, in front of the Diet building in Tokyo on Dec. 6, 2013.

Japan secrecy bill

Japan secrecy bill

TOKYO, Japan - Opposition members rush Masaharu Nakagawa (L), chairman of a House of Councillors special committee, at Japan's Diet in Tokyo on Dec. 5, 2013, in an attempt to block a vote on a controversial bill to toughen penalties for leakers of state secrets. The panel approved the bill later in the day.

Japan secrecy bill

Japan secrecy bill

TOKYO, Japan - Opposition members rush Masaharu Nakagawa (L), chairman of a House of Councillors special committee, at Japan's Diet in Tokyo on Dec. 5, 2013, in an attempt to block a vote on a controversial bill to toughen penalties for leakers of state secrets. The panel approved the bill later in the day.

Japan secrecy bill

Japan secrecy bill

TOKYO, Japan - Opposition members rush Masaharu Nakagawa (L), chairman of a House of Councillors special committee, at Japan's Diet in Tokyo on Dec. 5, 2013, in an attempt to block a vote on a controversial bill to toughen penalties for leakers of state secrets. The panel approved the bill later in the day.

Japan secrecy bill

Japan secrecy bill

TOKYO, Japan - People rally in front of the Diet building in Tokyo on Dec. 4, 2013, to protest against a controversial bill aimed at toughening penalties for leakers of state secrets.

Japan secrecy bill

Japan secrecy bill

TOKYO, Japan - Protesters form a "human chain" around Japan's Diet compound in Tokyo on Dec. 4, 2013, as parliament was deliberating on a controversial bill to toughen penalties for leakers of state secrets.

Japan secrecy bill

Japan secrecy bill

TOKYO, Japan - Photo from a Kyodo news helicopter shows protesters around Japan's Diet compound in Tokyo on Dec. 4, 2013, as parliament was deliberating on a controversial bill to toughen penalties for leakers of state secrets.

Japan secrecy bill

Japan secrecy bill

TOKYO, Japan - Protesters form a "human chain" around Japan's Diet compound in Tokyo on Dec. 4, 2013, as parliament was deliberating on a controversial bill to toughen penalties for leakers of state secrets.

Secrecy bill

Secrecy bill

TOKYO, Japan - (From L) Toshio Seya, former head of the Regional Banks Association of Japan, lawyer Yoichi Eto of the Japan Federation of Bar Associations and Toshiaki Hibino, the head of the Japan Federation of Newspaper Workers' Unions, attend a session of the upper house's security committee in Tokyo on Dec. 3, 2013. All of the experts invited to appear at the Diet hearing expressed concern about controversial legislation to toughen penalties for leakers of state secrets that the ruling bloc is aiming to enact later in the week.

Ishiba on demonstrations

Ishiba on demonstrations

TOKYO, Japan - Shigeru Ishiba, secretary general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, answers a reporter's question on his latest blog post titled "apology and correction" at the Diet building in Tokyo on Dec. 2, 2013. In the post, Ishiba apologized for calling demonstrations against a controversial bill to toughen penalties for leakers of state secrets "acts of terrorism," but maintained that provoking fear among ordinary people by speaking out loud is different from what democracy is meant to be.

Demonstration against secrecy bill

Demonstration against secrecy bill

TOKYO, Japan - Opponents of a controversial bill to toughen penalties for leakers of state secrets demonstrate near the Diet building in Tokyo on Dec. 2, 2013, against the bill as well as comments made by Shigeru Ishiba, secretary general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, which called demonstrations against the bill "acts of terrorism."

LDP's Ishiba

LDP's Ishiba

NANTO, Japan - Shigeru Ishiba, secretary general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, gives a speech in Nanto, Toyama Prefecture, on Dec. 1, 2013. Ishiba branded rallies by civic groups and others against a controversial bill to toughen penalties for leakers of state secrets as tantamount to "acts of terrorism" on his blog on Nov. 29.

LDP's Ishiba

LDP's Ishiba

NANTO, Japan - Shigeru Ishiba, secretary general of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, answers reporters' questions in Nanto, Toyama Prefecture, on Dec. 1, 2013. Ishiba branded rallies by civic groups and others against a controversial bill to toughen penalties for leakers of state secrets as tantamount to "acts of terrorism" on his blog on Nov. 29.

Secrecy bill

Secrecy bill

TOKYO, Japan - State minister Masako Mori answers a question on a controversial bill to toughen penalties for leakers of state secrets at a House of Concillors panel in Tokyo on Nov. 29, 2013.

Lower house passes secrecy bill

Lower house passes secrecy bill

TOKYO, Japan - Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (2nd from R) and members of his Cabinet applaud after the House of Representatives passes a controversial bill to toughen penalties for leakers of state secrets at the Diet building in Tokyo on Nov. 26, 2013.

Lower house passes secrecy bill

Lower house passes secrecy bill

TOKYO, Japan - People demonstrate against a controversial bill to toughen penalties for leakers of state secrets near the Diet building in Tokyo on Nov. 26, 2013.

Lower house passes secrecy bill

Lower house passes secrecy bill

TOKYO, Japan - Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (2nd from R, top) and members of his Cabinet applaud after the House of Representatives passes a controversial bill to toughen penalties for leakers of state secrets at the Diet building in Tokyo on Nov. 26, 2013.

Lower house passes secrecy bill

Lower house passes secrecy bill

TOKYO, Japan - Prime Minister Shinzo Abe speaks with reporters at his office in Tokyo after the House of Representatives passes a controversial bill to toughen penalties for leakers of state secrets on Nov. 26, 2013.

Lower house passes secrecy bill

Lower house passes secrecy bill

TOKYO, Japan - The House of Representatives passes a controversial bill to toughen penalties for leakers of state secrets on Nov. 26, 2013.

Lower house passes secrecy bill

Lower house passes secrecy bill

TOKYO, Japan - People demonstrate against a controversial bill to toughen penalties for leakers of state secrets near the Diet building in Tokyo on Nov. 26, 2013.

Secrecy law

Secrecy law

TOKYO, Japan - Opposition lawmakers approach Fukushiro Nukaga, chairman of a special committee in the lower house, in Tokyo on Nov. 26, 2013, after the committee approved controversial legislation to toughen penalties for leakers of state secrets.

Secrecy law takes effect amid concern about people's right to know

Secrecy law takes effect amid concern about people's right to know

TOKYO, Japan - Opponents of the controversial secrecy law demonstrate in front of the prime minister's office in Tokyo on Dec. 10, 2014, against the legislation which took effect the same day, saying the public's right to know will be undermined under the name of protecting national security. The law imposes stricter penalties on leakers of state secrets. (Kyodo)

Secrecy law takes effect amid concern about people's right to know

Secrecy law takes effect amid concern about people's right to know

TOKYO, Japan - Opponents of the controversial secrecy law demonstrate in front of the prime minister's office in Tokyo on Dec. 10, 2014, against the legislation which took effect the same day, saying the public's right to know will be undermined under the name of protecting national security. The law imposes stricter penalties on leakers of state secrets. (Kyodo)