Japan Passes Law Creating New Intelligence Council

May 27, 2026 | News On Japan

TOKYO - A law creating the National Intelligence Council to strengthen the Japanese government's intelligence-gathering and analysis capabilities was passed and enacted at a plenary session of the House of Councillors on May 27th.

The National Intelligence Council will be chaired by the prime minister and serve as a central command body for collecting and analyzing information to support government decision-making, while a new National Intelligence Bureau will be established as its secretariat.

The bill to establish the National Intelligence Council was put to a vote during the House of Councillors plenary session and was approved by a majority vote with support from the ruling coalition, the Democratic Party for the People, Komeito, and several other opposition parties.

In addition, supplementary resolutions sought by opposition parties were attached to the legislation, including provisions calling for sufficient consideration to be given to the protection of personal information and privacy, as well as requirements for the government to provide timely and appropriate explanations to the Diet regarding the council's activities.

Source: TBS

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