Japan Enacts Bill to Establish National Intelligence Council

Tokyo, May 27 (Jiji Press)--Japan's parliament on Wednesday enacted a bill to establish a national intelligence council aimed at strengthening the government's intelligence capabilities.

In a plenary meeting, the House of Councillors, the upper chamber of parliament, approved the bill by a majority vote, with support from the ruling pair of the Liberal Democratic Party and the Japan Innovation Party, as well as from the opposition Democratic Party for the People, following its passage through the House of Representatives, the lower chamber, in late April.

The legislation is the first step in intelligence reform, which Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi upholds as a flagship policy.

The council will be launched as early as July, with the prime minister serving as its chair. It will also be composed of the chief cabinet secretary, the financial services minister, the head of the National Public Safety Commission and the justice, foreign, finance, industry, land and defense ministers.

It will investigate and discuss critical intelligence activities related to national security and terrorism, as well as foreign intelligence activities, including influence operations by foreign spies, and will formulate basic policies for dealing with them.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]