Japanese PM vows to dispel public concerns over secrecy law

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said Monday that he will try to dispel public concerns over secrecy law while his support rate fell to lowest level since he returned to the post last December. Abe made the remark during a press conference, saying the legislation is vital for sharing information with foreign countries to address security issues. He added that the law clarifies rules on state secrets and could boosts transparency of the government. The latest poll conducted by Japan's Kyodo News showed that about 82.3 percent of Japanese called for the revision or abolition of the newly enacted secrecy law, according to the latest poll released Monday. The survey released Monday also said that about 70.8 percent said they are worried about the legislation. Meanwhile, the poll also showed that the support rate of Abe has dropped 10.3 percentage points from the previous survey to 47. 6 percent, while its disapproval poll also surged to 38.4 percent, up from 26.2 in the previous one.