Japan to Add Economic Security to Scope of Designated Secrets

Tokyo, Dec. 11 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government plans to include information critical to economic security among areas subject to classification for specially designated secrets. The plan was included in a draft revision to the operational standards for the law on the protection of specially designated secrets, which was approved by a policy division of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Wednesday. The government is expected to adopt the revision at a cabinet meeting as early as by the end of the year. This is the government’s second revision of the operational standards, which are to be reviewed every five years. The government hopes to enhance information security by operating the specially designated secrets system in conjunction with the security clearance program, introduced earlier this year, in which the government certifies individuals for access to critical information. The specially designated secrets protection law, enforced in 2014, defines specially designated secrets as information in four areas–defense, diplomacy, espionage prevention and terrorism prevention–that must be kept secret in order to prevent significant disruptions to national security. It seeks to prevent leaks of such information by imposing stricter penalties. In the draft revision, the government calls for more rigorous assessments of individuals seeking security clearance. It includes a mechanism to continuously check the social life of those who are certified under the system, and swiftly reassess clearance if risks arise. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]