State Secrecy Law
The State Secrecy Law, officially the Act on the Protection of Specially Designated Secrets (SDS) (特定秘密の保護に関する法律 Tokutei Himitsu no Hogo ni kansuru Hōritsu?), Act No. 108 of 2013, is a law in Japan allowing the government to designate defense information as "special secret".
Proposed by the second Abe cabinet, the law was approved by the Security Council on October 25, 2013, then was submitted to the National Diet, before being approved there as well on December 6 the same year. The law was promulgated on December 13, 2013, and came into force one year later.
The Japanese secrecy law covers defense, diplomacy, public safety and counterterrorism. In addition, it allows the government to lock away government documents for 60 years. Civil servants leaking information can expect ten years incarceration while journalists and other civilians helping them would get five years.
Before SDS was launched, the Abe cabinet established the National Security Council (NSC) on December 4, 2013. The Abe cabinet explained that SDS and the Japanese NSC should work together.
Public comment were heard from July 24, 2014, to August 24, 2014.
The government announced that SDS would come into force on December 10, 2014.
The head of an administrative organ shall designate as Specially Designated Secrets
(a) Operation of the Self-Defense Forces or thereto relevant assessments, plans or research
(b) Signal or imagery information, and other important information collected in relation to defense
(c) Collection and organization of information listed in (b) or the capacity to do so
(d) Assessments, plans or research pertaining to development of defense capability
(e) Type or quantity of weapons, ammunition, aircraft and other material for defense use
(f) Structure of communications network and means of communications for defense use
...
Wikipedia