Japan creates new intelligence body amid China-Russia-NK threats
Parliament passed the law on 27 May, and CIRO will be upgraded into a bureau to unify cross-ministry analysis.
Japan is forming a more centralized national intelligence body amid rising threats from China, Russia and North Korea. Parliament on 27 May 2026 passed a law establishing the National Intelligence Council and the National Intelligence Bureau, one of the biggest overhauls of Japan's intelligence coordination in decades. According to a report by The New York Times on 13 July, Japanese leaders in recent months have privately sought input from the United States, Australia and Germany on intelligence technology, staffing needs and priorities for the new agency. Under the new structure, the Cabinet Intelligence and Research Office (CIRO) will be upgraded into the National Intelligence Bureau to collect, integrate and analyze information from ministries and other government agencies.