Japan's ruling coalition parties and the opposition Democratic Party have agreed to continue discussions on how to amend a proposed state secrets law.

The main ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner New Komeito want the Diet to pass the security bill during the current session with support from as many opposition parties as possible.

In a meeting with the ruling camp on Thursday, the Democrats said the government should seek approval by a third-party panel of intellectuals if it wants to designate information secret for more than 30 years.

They also insisted the Diet can play a larger role in the designation procedures to prevent the government from using the law to hide information.

Officials with the ruling parties argued that the third-party panel could trigger information leaks.

The 2 sides failed to reach agreement but decided to meet again.

At a park in central Tokyo, thousands of people gathered on Thursday evening to protest the security bill.

Organizers, including citizens groups and labor unions, said about 10,000 people took part in the rally.

One protestor said what he fears the most is a society where journalists are not allowed to report freely.
He said the bill should be scrapped to prevent Japanese society from becoming too controlled.

The protestors marched toward the Diet building.

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This news was published on November 21, 2013.

Source: http://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/english/news/20131121_39.html