Japan officially establishes National Security Council

On December 4, Japan officially established a National Security Council (NSC) in the US style to speed up the making of defense-related decisions to deal with security challenges in the context of complicated developments in the regional situation.

Japan established a National Security Council amid a dispute between China and Japan over sovereignty over the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands. (Source: AFP/VNA)

China has just announced the establishment of an Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ) in the East China Sea, raising concerns about possible unforeseen situations amid a dispute between Tokyo and Beijing over sovereignty over the Senkaku Islands, which China calls Diaoyu and claims.

With a major focus on diplomacy, Japan's version of the NSC will likely factor in setting the defense agenda that Tokyo is expected to adopt by the end of the year, including a new defense program and a more comprehensive security strategy.

The launch of the NSC is seen as one of the main pillars of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's efforts to reorganize Japan's defense posture and strengthen the defense capabilities of the Self-Defense Forces (SDF).

The NSC was created to strengthen the leadership role of the Prime Minister's Office in directing foreign and defense policy.

The NSC headquarters – expected to be established within the Cabinet Secretariat in early 2014 – will collect information from ministries and agencies to avoid localism in information analysis.

The NSC office will consist of about 60 officials, drawn primarily from the State and Defense Departments.

Prime Minister Abe's foreign policy adviser, Shotaro Yachi, is expected to take over as head of the agency.

Mr. Abe has affirmed that the NSC will discuss issues of importance to national security such as the Senkaku/Diaoyu Islands, the nuclear and missile development program of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, and the arrangement of US military bases in Japan.

Regarding the NSC's operational framework, the Prime Minister, the Chief Cabinet Secretary, and the Foreign and Defense Ministers will meet twice a month to decide on the basic outline of security policy.

In addition, the Japanese government is also pushing for a bill to tighten penalties on those who leak state secrets - including information related to diplomacy, defense, counterterrorism and counterintelligence - to facilitate information sharing with other governments.

However, opponents of the bill say it will erode the public's right to know and press freedom under the vaguely defined umbrella of protecting "special secrets"./.

According to VNA