Editorials Nov 3, 2019
The new NSC better positions Japan to take on and respond to new challenges.
Business Sep 18, 2019
Japan considers adding economic division to national security unit
Japan is considering adding an economic division to the National Security Secretariat, government sources said Wednesday, as part of efforts to enhance the functions of the policy-coordination unit, which at the moment is primarily focused on foreign affairs. The planned reform comes as the NSS ...
National / Politics Jan 7, 2018
NSC to take over Japan's defense buildup, giving Abe more say in the action
The National Security Council plans to take the lead in crafting Japan's military buildup — a move expected to give the Prime Minister's Office more say in selecting defense equipment, a government source said Saturday. The aim of the new arrangement is to make the ...
National / History Jun 9, 2017
Declassified papers reveal U.S. held debate on Japan's nuclear ambitions in 1970s
by Eric Johnston
Japan's push to establish a nuclear fuel recycling program and use the plutonium created in the process was the center of an intense debate in the U.S. government four decades ago, pitting those who wanted smooth relations with Tokyo against those who worried the ...
National / Politics Feb 27, 2017
Abe aide Yachi set to visit Washington to meet new national security adviser McMaster
A key foreign policy aide to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was to begin a three-day visit to Washington on Monday, where he plans to meet the newly appointed national security adviser, the government said. Shotaro Yachi, who heads the secretariat of the Japanese National Security ...
National / Politics Oct 15, 2015
Japan OK'd 1,841 defense equipment exports for fiscal 2014 under new rules
Under new rules, Japan will allow arms exports if they contribute to international cooperation and the nation's security interests.
National Jul 16, 2014
MHI-made missile component can be exported to U.S. for transfer to Qatar
The government plans to allow Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. to export a component used in an earlier version of Patriot surface-to-air missiles to a U.S. defense equipment company in accordance with its new arms export control rules stipulated earlier this year, a government source ...
National May 8, 2014
Minutes of NSC meetings to be kept under wraps, document says
Japan has decided not to disclose the minutes of the new National Security Council's meetings from December to March to avoid compromising Japan's intelligence gathering capabilities and national security, a document obtained Thursday said. The government decided on May 1 not to make the minutes ...
National / Politics Apr 4, 2014
Japan, Australia set to agree on pact to jointly make defense equipment
Japan and Australia will likely agree during summit talks Monday to jointly develop defense equipment as they seek to bolster bilateral security and defense cooperation, a government source said Friday. The agreement would be the first of its kind since Japan adopted new principles on ...
National Dec 17, 2013
Japan adopts new security strategy to counter assertive China
Japan on Tuesday adopted a new national security strategy, pledging to beef up defenses against an increasingly assertive China to protect its territory, as Prime Minister Shinzo Abe aims to boost Tokyo's standing as a contributor to global peace and security. In the national security ...
Editorials Dec 1, 2013
The Upper House has enacted a law that establishes a Japanese version of the U.S. National Security Council. But there's no guarantee the NSC will contribute to the government's making rational security and diplomatic decisions.
Editorials Nov 8, 2013
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's policy of "proactive pacifism" must be stopped before it destroys the Constitution's war-renouncing principle and Japan's traditional defense-only posture.