Japan has approved legislation to establish a National Intelligence Council aimed at strengthening security coordination….reports Asian Lite News Desk
Japan has approved legislation to establish a National Intelligence Council aimed at centralising the country’s intelligence gathering operations in response to growing overseas security threats, according to local media reports.
The new law, passed by the Japanese parliament on Wednesday, marks a major step in Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s broader push to strengthen Japan’s intelligence and counter espionage capabilities amid what her government describes as the most challenging security environment since the end of the Second World War.
According to Kyodo News, the legislation paves the way for additional measures aimed at expanding Japan’s intelligence infrastructure, including possible future laws on counter espionage and foreign lobbying activities.
Takaichi has repeatedly argued that Japan needs stronger mechanisms to monitor foreign influence operations and has called for the eventual creation of a dedicated external intelligence agency.
Under the newly approved law, the National Intelligence Council will be chaired by Takaichi and include nine cabinet ministers. The council’s secretariat, to be known as the National Intelligence Bureau, will coordinate intelligence collected by various agencies including the National Police Agency, the Foreign Ministry and the Defence Ministry.
The bureau will also have the authority to request information sharing from government bodies in an effort to overcome what officials have described as Japan’s fragmented intelligence structure.
The government is expected to establish both the council and the bureau as early as July. Officials are also planning to create an expert panel to examine future counter espionage legislation, Kyodo News reported.
The bill was first passed in the House of Representatives in April with support from the opposition Centrist Reform Alliance. However, the legislation faced criticism in the upper house from the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, which raised concerns about civil liberties and the potential politicisation of intelligence activities.
Critics have also questioned the absence of parliamentary oversight provisions in the law, warning that the new framework could increase the risk of intelligence operations infringing on individual rights and democratic accountability.
The move reflects Japan’s broader efforts to strengthen national security and intelligence coordination as regional tensions and geopolitical challenges continue to grow in East Asia.
