[Global Times special correspondent Qinggui] Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said at a press conference on the 24th that he had taken the lead in promoting the establishment of the "National Intelligence Agency" in accordance with the instructions of Prime Minister Takashi Hayashi. According to a report by Japan's Asahi Shimbun on the same day, Kihara said: What we are facing is "the most severe and complex security challenge after the war" and "it is urgent to strengthen the national intelligence function."
In his first policy speech on the 24th, Gao City emphasized his priority in the fields of diplomacy and national security. According to Japan's Yomiuri Shimbun, strengthening intelligence work is a long-term proposition of Takashi. During the Liberal Democratic Party presidential campaign, she promised to establish a National Intelligence Agency. This idea also received support from the Japan Reform Council. In the ruling coalition agreement, the two parties plan to establish a "National Intelligence Agency" and a "Director of National Intelligence Agency" next year to replace the existing Cabinet Intelligence Investigation Office and Cabinet Intelligence Officers. The new agency will be at the same level as the National Security Agency.
At present, Japan's Cabinet Intelligence Investigation Office, the Ministry of Public Security of the National Police Department, the International Intelligence Bureau of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Intelligence Headquarters of the Ministry of Defense jointly undertake intelligence collection and analysis tasks, and uniformly report them to the National Security Administration established in 2014. However, Japanese media said that the existing command and integration mechanism is widely considered to be insufficiently functional.
The newly established "National Intelligence Agency" will bring together seconded personnel from various provincial departments and departments, integrate information sources, and focus on improving its ability to respond to "activities of foreign forces that threaten national security and national interests." The Director of the National Intelligence Agency will report directly to the Prime Minister and Chief Cabinet Secretary to strengthen the cabinet-led intelligence work pattern. Japan's Kyodo News Agency mentioned that if the government's intelligence activities become increasingly frequent, it may increase supervision of the public, raising concerns about restrictions on freedom of speech and expression.