National Security Council

The new NSC better positions Japan to take on and respond to new challenges.

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

Under new rules, Japan will allow arms exports if they contribute to international cooperation and the nation's security interests.

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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.