Japan on Friday launched its National Intelligence Bureau and held the first meeting of the newly established National Intelligence Council, chaired by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.
The two bodies were established under legislation enacted in May, aimed at bolstering Japan’s ability to respond to increasingly complex overseas threats, according to Kyodo News.
The National Intelligence Bureau will serve as the council’s secretariat and coordinate intelligence gathered by the National Police Agency, the Foreign Ministry, the Defence Ministry, and other organisations, with the authority to require them to share information.
The bureau was established as an upgraded version of the Cabinet Intelligence and Research Office and has around 730 staff.
Kazuya Hara, who has served as the director of Cabinet Intelligence since June 2023, was appointed the bureau’s first director on Friday.
“The establishment of this council marks the first step in Japan’s intelligence reforms,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara told a news conference.
The bodies will enable the government to make “sound decisions based on higher-quality, more timely intelligence,” he added.
