Japanese government moves to establish National Intelligence Agency

On December 5, Japanese media reported that the Japanese government plans to establish a National Intelligence Service as early as July 2026.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. Photo: Kyodo/VNA

According to a VNA correspondent in Tokyo, some sources from the government and the ruling party said the government will submit the relevant bill to the regular National Diet session scheduled to take place next month. This is the first step in Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's intelligence reform initiative.

The National Intelligence Service is expected to be established based on the upgrading of the Cabinet Office of Intelligence and Research, responsible for consolidating information collected from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of National Defense , the National Police Agency and the Public Security Intelligence Agency. The National Intelligence Service will be managed at the same level as the National Security Agency, an agency that oversees foreign and security policies, and will be empowered to direct ministries and agencies to provide information.

Meanwhile, the Cabinet Intelligence Committee will be transformed into the National Intelligence Council, comprising the Prime Minister and relevant ministers. The National Intelligence Service will act as the secretariat of the National Intelligence Council.

Under the coalition agreement between the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the Japan Innovation Party (JIP), the coalition will seek to pass a bill to establish a national intelligence agency during the Diet's regular session in 2026. The agreement also includes the establishment of a foreign intelligence agency and an intelligence personnel training organization by the end of fiscal 2027, as well as the prompt enactment of anti-espionage laws.

The LDP's intelligence strategy headquarters is chaired by party policy chief Takayuki Kobayashi. The LDP is discussing strengthening the government's command center function on intelligence-related issues, improving foreign intelligence gathering capabilities, and building a system to prevent foreign interference.

Regarding the command center function, the LDP will submit proposals to the government as early as January 2026. Regarding the anti-espionage law, the government and the ruling parties are considering a bill requiring foreign agents to register their activities in Japan.

Source: https://baolamdong.vn/chinh-phu-nhat-ban-tien-toi-thanh-lap-cuc-tinh-bao-quoc-gia-408645.html