Japan has enacted a new state-secrets law that strengthens punishments for journalists and government officials who leak or seek top secrets, reports Reuters. The legislation has been met with protests and criticism by the public, with many fearing that the law will be used to silence media outlets or allow government officials to cover up their actions. Reuters reports that under the law, public employees and others with access to state secrets could be jailed up to 10 years for leaking them, while journalists and other private sector employees could be jailed up to five years for seeking out state secrets through "grossly inappropriate" means.
INFORMATION CAN BE MARKED AS SECRET FOR 60 YEARS OR LONGER
But many are concerned that private employees could be punished simply for seeking information that they weren't aware was a state secret in the first place. Reuters reports that leaders of all ministries will have authority to create state secrets that are held for up to 60 years — sometimes longer.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thanks for your comments. In order to eliminate spam all comments are moderated. Comments will only be edited if they contain expletives or attacks on another person. All viewpoints are welcome.