Japan to Launch Panel on Intelligence Capabilities in Summer

Tokyo, March 4 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on Tuesday unveiled a plan to establish a panel of experts as early as this summer to discuss ways to strengthen the country’s intelligence capabilities, a senior ruling party official said. The panel is expected to discuss Takaichi’s push to enact an anti-espionage law as well as how to beef up the nation’s intelligence-gathering capabilities. Takaichi unveiled the plan during a meeting with Takayuki Kobayashi, chairman of the Liberal Democratic Party’s Headquarters for Intelligence Strategy, according to Kobayashi. Kobayashi put forward the party’s proposals to Takaichi, calling for enhancing the country’s signals intelligence capabilities and considering establishing a foreign intelligence service, among others. On Tuesday, the Japan Innovation Party, the LDP’s coalition partner, also submitted its proposals on national security and intelligence to Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]