Overview
- The Liberal Democratic Party held the first meeting of its Intelligence Strategy Headquarters, led by policy chief Takayuki Kobayashi, at party headquarters in Tokyo on November 14.
- It formally set the creation of a National Intelligence Agency and a National Intelligence Council as the top items for discussion to unify information now spread across ministries.
- The taskforce outlined three pillars for its work: bolstering a command hub, strengthening overseas intelligence collection, and building defenses against foreign interference.
- Former National Security Secretariat chief Shigeru Kitamura attended as a lecturer and briefed members on the need for a coordinating organization and current intelligence challenges.
- The move aligns with Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s push for tighter secrets protection, including a possible anti-spy law, with the LDP planning medium-term deliberations and recommendations shaped by its agreement with Nippon Ishin.