Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto, also co- leader of the opposition Japan Restoration Party, expressed discontent on Thursday against the ongoing debate over the state secrecy bill, emphasizing concerns over a lack of lawmakers' discussion on the bill.

Hashimoto told reporters in the Osaka City Hall that since the debate between the ruling and opposition parties on the state secrecy bill is not done on the same wavelength, it is too early in any case for the current administration to pass the bill by force.

He made the remarks amid reports that the controversial bill is expected to be enacted during the present Diet session which ends this week.

"It is necessary for the government to introduce such a law to protect government secrets but lawmakers in the Diet have not been handling the bill carefully enough," he said, quoted by local daily Mainichi Shimbun.

Hashimoto also stated that if the government pushes the bill, it should establish an independent review body to oversee the legitimacy of designations and protect citizens from government's abuse of the state secrecy law.

The secrecy bill, submitted by the Shinzo Abe administration was approved in Japan's lower house on Tuesday last week. The legislation now goes to the upper house, where Abe's Liberal Democratic Party has held a majority since July. Endi

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