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The , also known as , is a Japanese
intelligence agency An intelligence agency is a government agency responsible for the collection, Intelligence analysis, analysis, and exploitation of information in support of law enforcement, national security, military, public safety, and foreign policy obj ...
under the Cabinet Secretariat responsible for gathering, processing, and analyzing national security information for the cabinet. As a principal member of the Japanese intelligence community, the CIRO reports directly to the
Prime Minister A prime minister or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. A prime minister is not the head of state, but r ...
. Its operations are mandated through the Cabinet Law. The agency is said to be equivalent to the American
Central Intelligence Agency The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA; ) is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States tasked with advancing national security through collecting and analyzing intelligence from around the world and ...
. Like most intelligence agencies in Japan, its personnel are usually recruited from other agencies. Around 100 out of 170 CIRO agents are from other agencies/ministries with top positions occupied by career police officers.Davis and Gustafson, page. 183. The CIRO frequently works with the
National Security Council A national security council (NSC) is usually an executive branch governmental body responsible for coordinating policy on national security issues and advising chief executives on matters related to national security. An NSC is often headed by a n ...
as a communication channel to the prime minister. The CIRO is headquartered in
Chiyoda, Tokyo , known as Chiyoda City in English,
." ''City of Chiyoda''. Retrieved on December 28, 2008.
is a S ...
, in a building called "H20".


History

The CIRO was created by the Allied Forces through the formation of the in April 1952 with Jun Murai as the first director in an attempt to replicate its structure after the CIA. But due to widespread opposition and the factionalism in the bureaucracy, this plan was discarded. The RO was placed under jurisdiction of the Prime Minister's office in 1957 and was known as the . The CRO was later renamed as the CIRO in 1986. The Cabinet Intensive Information Center was established on April 11, 1996 to ensure that the CIRO can inform the Prime Minister in case of severe emergencies. It's located in the Prime Minister's residence. In August 2007, discussions of intelligence reforms through the paper ''Improvement of Counter-Intelligence Functions'' resulted in the establishment of the Counterintelligence Center.Davis and Gustafson, page. 188. It's been suggested that the CIC can be used as the basis for the creation of an actual external intelligence agency similar to the CIA. In 2013, CIRO satellite imagery analysis was used to assist NGOs in Tacloban for reconstruction work in the wake of
Typhoon Haiyan Typhoon Haiyan, known in the Philippines as Super Typhoon Yolanda, was an extremely powerful and catastrophic tropical cyclone that is among List of the most intense tropical cyclones, the most powerful tropical cyclones ever recorded. Upon ...
. Since 2015, CIRO agents are usually recruited to be sent to the International Counter-Terrorism Intelligence Collection Unit. In 2016, the business magazine Facta reported that the government of
Shinzo Abe Shinzo Abe (21 September 1954 – 8 July 2022) was a Japanese politician who served as Prime Minister of Japan and President of the Liberal Democratic Party (Liberal Democratic Party (Japan), LDP) from 2006 to 2007 and again from 2012 to 2020. ...
had directed the CIRO to spy on a legal council connected to David Kaye, who as U.N. special rapporteur on freedom of expression stated "deep and genuine concern" on declining
media independence Independent media refers to any media, such as television, newspapers, or Internet-based publications free of influence by government or corporate interests. The term has varied applications. Independence stands as a cornerstone principle withi ...
in Japan. On January 12, 2024, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Cabinet Satellite Intelligence Center announced that the launch of the Optical-8 satellite was a success, which separated from the missile and has entered orbit.


Spy scandal

On January 17, 2008, an official of Naichō was charged for spying for Russians, passing them classified information. The Russians denied the claim. Since then, there had been calls for greater accountability on Naichō.


Organization

According to its official web site, the organization of Naichō is as follows: * * * Cabinet Intelligence Officer *Divisions: **: Has Human Resources, Budget and academic experts. **: Collect information based on domestic media, including newspapers, magazines and from news broadcasts. **: Collect information based on foreign media and broadcasts from another country, including CIRO agents based overseas. **: Studies domestic/international economic information. *: Secures information related to disasters and other emergencies. Staffed by twenty agents from the Ministry of Defense, National Police Agency, Fire Disaster and Management Agency and the Japan Coast Guard. * *: Operates a network of
surveillance satellite A reconnaissance satellite or intelligence satellite (commonly, although unofficially, referred to as a spy satellite) is an Earth observation satellite or communications satellite deployed for military or intelligence applications. The ...
s, such as the IGS-Optical and IGS-Radar series. As of June 2018, Japan has six functioning observation satellites in orbit. It was established in 2001 and has 320 personnel employed with at least 100 of them being imagery intelligence analysts. Tasked with obtaining and analyzing satellite imagery data. The Deputy Director position is filled by a senior officer from the NPA. * Situation Center of Cabinet * : Coordinates government action based on the "Improvement of Counter-Intelligence Functions" policy. * Cabinet Counter Terrorism Intelligence Coordination Center


Directors of Naichō

* Yoshio Omori (March 1993 - April 1997) *
Kazuhiro Sugita is a Japanese police officer who served as Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary from 2012 to 2021. As such, Sugita was the senior bureaucrat in Japan from the inauguration of the Second Abe Cabinet to the end of the Suga Cabinet. Biography Kazuhi ...
(January 2001 – April 2001) * Toshinori Kanemoto (April 2001 – April 2006) * Hideshi Mitani (April 2006 – April 2010) * Shinichi Uematsu (April 2010 – December 2011) * Shigeru Kitamura (December 2011 – September 2019) * Hiroaki Takizawa (September 2019 – June 2023) * Kazuya Hara (June 2023 – present)


References


Bibliography

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External links

* * {{Japanese intelligence agencies Domestic intelligence agencies 1952 establishments in Japan 1986 establishments in Japan Japanese intelligence agencies Cabinet Office (Japan)