National Security Council (Japan)

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National Security Council
国家安全保障会議
Kokka-anzen-hoshō-kaigi
Go-shichi no kiri crest.svg
PMO cropped.jpg
Agency overview
FormedDecember 4, 2013 (2013-12-04)
Preceding agency
Headquarters2-3-1 Nagata-chō, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan
Agency executive
Parent agencyCabinet of Japan
Websitewww.kantei.go.jp/jp/singi/anzenhosyoukaigi/index.html

The National Security Council (国家安全保障会議, Kokka-anzen-hoshō-kaigi) of Japan is the principal body used by the Prime Minister of Japan and top senior advisors to coordinate national security and military policies of Japan. It was formed in 2013 as an initiative for Shinzo Abe to replace the obsolete Security Council. [1] The council is headed by the one of the Cabinet Secretariat's department, the National Security Secretariat. The National Security Advisor serves as the Director of the Secretariat and is the overall highest-authority in the council.[2]

Membership[]

The National Security Council, as of 2021, consists of nine statutory members; the Prime Minister, the Minister of Finance, Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, the Chief Cabinet Secretary, and the Chairman of the National Public Safety Commission. The council is chaired by the Prime Minister, and is managed by the Natiional Security Advisor. Although it is not mandated, the Chief of Staff, Joint Staff, the National Security Advisor , Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretaries, and several Vice-Ministers also join the council.

History[]

Abe first attempted to establish an NSC in his first premiership in 2006–07, but the effort stalled in January 2008 when he stepped down from office.[3][1][4] The House of Representatives passed a bill to establish the Council on 7 November 2013,[5] and the House of Councillors followed suit on 27 November.[6]

The Council has its own national security advisor to the Prime Minister,[6] and is staffed by around 60 officials from the Foreign and Defense ministries.[7] There are six teams handling various issue areas, each headed by an official equivalent to a ministerial division chief.[8] One of its key functions is a regular conference with the Prime Minister, the Chief Cabinet Secretary, and the Foreign and Defense ministers.[3] The office has hotlines to its American and British counterparts.[9]

Together with the publication of Japan's first National Security Strategy in December 2013, the NSC represents a centralization of Japanese security policy with the Prime Minister.[3] The old Security Council had been beset by bureaucratic inefficiencies and lack of coordination.[1] The National Security Strategy advocates for the creation of an NSC because "the security environment surrounding Japan is further increasing in severity. ... [I]t is necessary for the entire Cabinet to work on the strengthening of foreign affairs and the security system of Japan."[4]

The Council met for the first time on 4 December 2013 to discuss the National Security Strategy and China's Air Defense Identification Zone.[9]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c Alexander Martin (21 November 2013). "Japan to Form Own National Security Council". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 4 February 2014.
  2. ^ "Readout of Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel's Meeting with Japan National Security Advisor Shotaro Yachi" (Press release). U.S. Department of Defense. 17 January 2014. Retrieved 6 February 2014.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b c J. Berkshire Miller (29 January 2014). "How Will Japan's New NSC Work?". The Diplomat. Retrieved 4 February 2014.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b "Defense of Japan" (PDF). Ministry of Defense (Japan). 17 December 2013. p. 105. Retrieved 4 February 2014.
  5. ^ "Japan's lower house OKs bill to set up NSC". Xinhua News Agency. 7 December 2013. Retrieved 4 February 2014.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b "Japanese 'NSC' scheduled to be launched next week". Yomiuri Shimbun. Asian News Network. 28 November 2013. Archived from the original on 28 November 2013. Retrieved 4 February 2014.
  7. ^ "Japan launches U.S.-style National Security Council". Xinhua News Agency. 4 December 2013. Retrieved 4 February 2014.
  8. ^ Katsuhisa Kuramae (8 January 2014). "New national security bureau faces rocky start". The Asahi Shimbun. Archived from the original on 25 January 2014. Retrieved 6 February 2014.
  9. ^ Jump up to: a b "Japan's NSC meets for first time, with ADIZ issue on agenda". Xinhua News Agency. 4 December 2013. Archived from the original on 21 February 2014. Retrieved 4 February 2014.

Further reading[]

  • Fukushima, Mayumi, and Richard J. Samuels. "Japan's National Security Council: filling the whole of government?." International Affairs 94.4 (2018): 773-790. online
  • Liff, Adam P. "Japan’s National Security Council: Policy Coordination and Political Power." Japanese Studies 38.2 (2018): 253-279. online
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