Japan Diet Enacts Security Clearance Bill

Tokyo, May 10 (Jiji Press)--The Diet, Japan's parliament, enacted on Friday a bill to introduce a security clearance system for individuals who are allowed to handle important information related to economic security.

The bill was approved by a majority vote at a plenary meeting of the House of Councillors, the upper chamber of the Diet, with support mainly from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, its junior coalition partner Komeito and the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan. The bill passed the House of Representatives, the lower chamber, last month.

Under the new law on the protection and use of important economic security information, those who leaked key information will face penalties, such as a prison sentence of up to five years.

Information that could threaten the country's security depending on how it is handled, such as that related to cybersecurity measures and weak spots of supply chains, will be considered key economic security information.

The Japanese government will provide sensitive information only to people recognized as having no risk of leaking such information. Such individuals will be selected after going through the government's seven-prong background checks, covering matters such as criminal records and mental health issues.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]