Based on comments from the public, the government has made 27 revisions to its draft standards for the application of the designated state secrets protection law, it was learned Wednesday.

The revised draft standards highlight a greater emphasis on respect for the public’s right to know and call for a review of the standards five years after the law takes effect later this year.

The government plans to approve the draft standards, as well as related ordinances, at a Cabinet meeting in early October and put the designated secrets protection law into force in early December.

The new draft was presented at Wednesday’s meeting of the government’s advisory panel on the protection of sensitive information, chaired by Tsuneo Watanabe, chairman and editor in chief of The Yomiuri Shimbun Holdings.

“To make full preparations before the law comes into effect and to maintain the appropriate enforcement of the law is the most important for gaining the people’s trust,” Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said at the meeting.

The government released the original draft in July and received 23,820 public comments on it by late August.

Public comments included demands the secrets protection law be scrapped and concerns about a possible abuse of penalties under the law, as well as arguments that too many government agencies are given the authority of a secret designation.

According to the revised draft, government agencies will not be allowed to designate any of their illegal acts as state secrets. Government staff will be required to submit reports in writing to agency chiefs if they destroy documents designated as state secrets due to the urgent need to prevent leaks.

The designated secrets protection law was enacted in December 2013, despite fierce criticism from the opposition camp.

The law allows the government to designate important information as state secrets in the four areas of defense, diplomacy, counterintelligence and counterterrorism.

Government staff and private citizens found to have leaked designated state secrets will be penalized with up to 10 years in prison.

After the law takes effect, the information protection advisory council will receive a report from the government every year on the enforcement of the law, but the panel has no authority to examine whether secret designations by the government are reasonable.