Takaichi launches intelligence panel, eyeing Japan’s own CIA

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, a security hawk who is approaching the one year mark as national leader, has prioritized bolstering Japan’s defenses against foreign influence as a policy goal. | Bloomberg

Sep 28, 2026

Japan held its first meeting of an expert panel tasked with helping develop national intelligence gathering capabilities and anti-espionage measures, moves that Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said were vital to guard against foreign threats.

“Strengthening Japan’s intelligence capabilities is an urgent priority,” Takaichi said at the end of a closed-door meeting of the 17-member panel Monday. Reporters were allowed in to hear her final comments.

Takaichi highlighted growing geopolitical challenges as evidence for the necessity of intelligence reforms.

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