Considering Establishment of Intelligence Bureau

Chief Cabinet Secretary, Minoru Kihara, announced on October 24th that the government would discuss establishment of “National Intelligence Bureau (NIB)” to oversee collection and analysis of information, with order of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. The idea of enhancing intelligence system was one of the issues in the coalition agreement with Japan Innovation Party (JIP). Takaichi has just begun implementation of the agreement. 

Takaichi ordered Kihara to consider building an organization to oversee the intelligence that the government would collect, when Takaichi Cabinet was formed on October 21. Takaichi had acknowledged the vulnerability in dealing with delicate intelligence in the government of Japan. “It is necessary for us to reinforce function of intelligence to secure national interest and safety of our nationals, when international security environment is most severe in post-war era,” said Kihara in his press conference.

 

NIB will not totally be a new organization in the government. There currently is a section named ”Cabinet Intelligence and Research Office” headed by Director of Cabinet Intelligence. The new agency is supposed to be upgrade of the office and the director. The bureau and its bureau chief will be placed at a high-level which can be paralleled with National Security Secretariat which oversees policies on diplomacy and security.

 

Establishment of NIB was included in the policy agreement with JIP. “We are going to enact a bill for establishing ‘National Intelligence Agency” in the ordinary session of the Diet in 2026,” reads the agreement. It also includes establishment of External Intelligence Agency, modeling after Central Intelligence Agency of the United States. The agreement recommends establishing an organization to educate intelligence officers who can act beyond the border of intelligence communities.

 

Takaichi was in charge of economic security as a member of Fumio Kishida Cabinet, the position which gave her an opportunity to be involved in the issue of management of security information. There are various sections that deal with national intelligence, including managers of foreign information in Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Intelligence Headquarters in Ministry of Defense and Public Security Intelligence Agency in Ministry of Justice. It is expected that NIB will coordinate management of information among those governmental organizations.

 

The coalition government also refers to legislation for preventing spying in Japan, which deals with registration of foreign agents and disclosure of lobbying. The LDP and JIP agreed on starting discussion for it within FY2025 and enacting a bill as soon as possible. Stimulated by advance of conservative new parties that uphold further regulation on foreigners, Takaichi insisted that she would introduce stricter measures against false activities of foreigners.

 

However, it is likely that the opposition parties are going to be skeptical about enhancement of governmental power, which can lead to intervention in private sectors. Concerning minority government in both Houses of the Diet, Takaichi administration will be necessary to persuade opposition parties to pass bills for it.

 

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