TOKYO, July 31 (Xinhua) -- Japan on Friday launched its new centralized intelligence body, local media reported, a controversial move that some fear lacks any checks and balances in the form of oversight mechanisms.
The establishment of the national intelligence bureau, an upgrade from the Cabinet intelligence and research office, which held little authority, follows legislation enacted in May to create the national intelligence council, Kyodo News reported.
Kazuya Hara, who had served as director of Cabinet intelligence since June 2023 and held senior positions at the National Police Agency, assumed the post of the bureau's director on Friday, the report said.
The bureau serves as the secretariat for the council, a central command body headed by the prime minister and composed of top ministers, and will coordinate intelligence gathered by the National Police Agency, the Foreign Ministry, the Defense Ministry and other organizations, with the authority to require them to share information, it added.
The council is expected to meet for the first time later in the day, according to government sources, to start discussions on Japan's first national intelligence strategy.
The ramp-up in intelligence activities has stoked concerns of increased surveillance of citizens and arbitrary use by the government, as well as questions about whether the two bodies can remain politically neutral and whether planned legislation could infringe on people's privacy.
Critics oppose the move, arguing that it not only raises concerns about unnecessary infringements on personal information and privacy but also strengthens the bureau's authority without any checks and balances in the form of oversight mechanisms. ■
