Komeito backs privacy protections for new intelligence agency

May 9 , 2026

On May 8, Komeito House of Councillors member Tetsuya Kubota queried Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on a bill submitted by her administration to create a National Intelligence Council (NIC) seeking to strengthen Japan’s intelligence capabilities. While acknowledging the need for such an agency, Kubota urged the government to abide by a supplementary resolution minimizing the infringement of personal information and privacy. He further called for specific protections on national intelligence gathering activities to be incorporated over a mid- to long-term period. Kubota added that transcripts of council deliberations should be preserved for official documentation.

If the bill is passed, the NIC will be granted a broad range of intelligence gathering operations and fall under the jurisdiction of the Cabinet.

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