Japan Mulling Establishing New Bureau at Defense Ministry

Tokyo, July 7 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government is considering establishing a new bureau at the Defense Ministry in charge of dealing with international policies, including the promotion of cooperation with like-minded countries, government and ruling bloc sources said Tuesday. In light of the increasingly severe security environment, the planned bureau is expected to handle issues such as the transfer of defense equipment to like-minded countries and the conclusion of an acquisition and cross-servicing agreement between Japan’s Self-Defense Forces and the militaries of other nations. The government will also seek to establish an agency to support retired SDF members and their families, the sources said. Its Basic Policy on Economic and Fiscal Management and Reform, to be drawn up shortly, is expected to say that the organization of the Defense Ministry will be strengthened drastically. The government plans to submit a bill to revise the Defense Ministry establishment law to next year’s ordinary parliamentary session, slated to be convened in January, aiming to implement the planned structural reform measures in the next fiscal year starting in April 2027, according to the sources. The ministry currently has the defense minister’s secretariat and four bureaus on defense policy, defense buildup planning, personnel and education, and policies for regional cooperation. The Bureau of Defense Policy is responsible for a wide range of areas, including policy planning, coordination with the United States and like-minded countries, and administrative affairs related to SDF operations. According to the sources, the International Policy Division of the Bureau of Defense Policy and the duties of a counsellor in charge of like-minded countries in the Indo-Pacific region will be transferred to the envisioned bureau. In recent years, the Defense Ministry and the SDF have strengthened cooperation with like-minded countries in response to China’s growing military coercion, leading to increases in workloads related to exchanges with units from the militaries of Asian and European nations. Last month, Japan’s parliament approved ACSAs with the Philippines, the Netherlands and New Zealand. The government is expected to say in the upcoming Basic Policy on Economic and Fiscal Management and Reform that it will consider stepping up its work to support retired SDF personnel, including the possibility of establishing a new organization. Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi has mentioned an idea of establishing a government agency to aid retired SDF members and their families for their welfare. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]