Full Text of Question | April 23 House of Representatives Plenary Session | Rep. Atsushi Oshima: "Strengthen Intelligence Capabilities to Prepare for New Threats"
On April 23, 2026, Representative Atsushi Oshima of the Centrist Reform Coalition spoke at the House of Representatives plenary session in support of the Bill to Establish the National Intelligence Council. While urging the need to strengthen cross-ministerial intelligence integration to address diversifying threats such as cyber and economic security, he strongly demanded that the government ensure democratic oversight by the Diet, protection of human rights, and the objectivity of intelligence analysis.
On April 23, at the House of Representatives plenary session, Representative Atsushi Oshima spoke in support of the "Bill to Establish the National Intelligence Council." The prepared manuscript is as follows.
Full Text of Question
Speech in Support of the Bill to Establish the National Intelligence Council
Centrist Reform Coalition - Atsushi Oshima
I am speaking on behalf of my parliamentary group in support of the Bill to Establish the National Intelligence Council, which is now on the agenda. The nature of the threats surrounding our country has changed significantly. Security threats can no longer be captured by the simple framework of "whether or not there is an armed attack" as in the past. With cyberattacks, the spread of disinformation, influence operations, economic coercion, technology leakage, espionage, and interference with critical infrastructure, the boundaries between military and non-military, contingency and peacetime, and domestic and foreign have become blurred.
Furthermore, the scope of information that the government must grasp and analyze is expanding. Beyond diplomatic and defense information, a wide range of information directly linked to the lives of citizens and economic activities—including finance, economy and industry, land and transport, communications, space, cyber, energy, food, advanced technology, and critical infrastructure—has become vital security information. In such an era, strengthening the mechanism to aggregate government information in a timely manner, comprehensively analyze information held by multiple ministries and agencies, and elevate it into intelligence that can be utilized for policy decisions is an unavoidable challenge for our country.
Of course, even under the current system, the government's intelligence activities, centered on the Cabinet Intelligence and Research Office, have played a certain role. However, in the field of intelligence, there has not yet been a sufficient mechanism for cabinet-level officials to set basic policies and provide comprehensive coordination while overseeing the entire government.
This bill establishes a mechanism for the National Intelligence Council to have relevant administrative agencies provide materials or information in a timely manner and provide necessary cooperation upon the request of the chairperson. It also tasks the National Intelligence Agency with planning, comprehensive coordination, collection, investigation, organization, and comprehensive analysis regarding important intelligence activities. This is a system to integrate information dispersed across ministries at a level that supports the Cabinet and the Prime Minister, elevating it into knowledge that can be used for policy decisions—that is, intelligence. As it establishes a foundation to support the government's accurate decision-making, we recognize its necessity and support this bill. In the United States, the lesson learned from the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks was a harsh reflection that simply lining up intelligence agencies is not enough to protect the nation. The disconnect between foreign and domestic intelligence, deficiencies in information sharing between agencies, and a lack of comprehensive analysis were recognized as major problems, leading to the creation of the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) and the organization that supports it.
Naturally, this bill does not transplant the U.S. system into our country as it is. Japan has its own administrative organization, constitutional order, and methods of democratic control. However, the lesson that it is not enough for each agency to hold information, and that a command center is needed to share, integrate, and link it to policy decisions as a nation, is also important for our country.
On the other hand, strengthening intelligence capabilities is not an end in itself. It is a means to protect the lives, bodies, and property of the people, and to safeguard the independence and peace of our country. And that means must always be placed under the Constitution and must not unjustly infringe upon the freedom and rights of the people.
When strengthening intelligence functions and information security, it is important to simultaneously establish democratic controls such as monitoring, reporting, and accountability by the Diet. Regarding the Act on the Protection of Specially Designated Secrets, an Information Monitoring Review Board was subsequently established in each house through an amendment to the Diet Act. If we are to enhance the nation's intelligence capabilities, corresponding Diet involvement and accountability to the public are essential.
Also, regarding the relationship between policy and intelligence, both close cooperation and an appropriate distance are necessary. If intelligence does not accurately capture the information requirements of the policy side, it will not be useful for policy decisions. However, the policy side must never bend analysis to fit desired conclusions. It is also impermissible for the intelligence sector to arbitrarily select information to justify specific policies. How can we reconcile democratic control by politics with the independence and objectivity of intelligence analysis? This is the greatest key to operating the National Intelligence Council and the National Intelligence Agency. I demand that the government clarify the division of roles between the policy and intelligence departments, prevent the politicization of intelligence, and ensure that objective analysis reaches the Prime Minister and relevant cabinet ministers. The protection of the people's freedom of expression and privacy is also extremely important. This bill does not create new, individual information-gathering powers. However, since the government is strengthening its intelligence activities, the government must answer head-on the concerns that the lives of citizens might be monitored or that speech and political activities critical of the government might become targets of investigation.
In committee questioning, we confirmed whether people participating in demonstrations or rallies opposing government policy would become targets of investigation solely for that reason. In response, we received an important answer from the government that it is difficult to assume that ordinary citizens would become targets of investigation solely on the grounds that they are participating in demonstrations or rallies opposing government policy.
This answer is a weighty one that will constrain future operations. I demand that the government strictly adhere to this intent and ensure thorough operation so as not to infringe upon freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, freedom of thought and conscience, and privacy.
Furthermore, the supplementary resolution includes a provision to explain the activities of the National Intelligence Council and the National Intelligence Agency to the Diet in a timely and appropriate manner to dispel public concerns. This does not mean that a sufficient monitoring system has been completed immediately. However, it is an important foothold for the Diet to continuously engage in intelligence activities and demand explanations from the government.
Finally, I would like to speak about responding to technological innovation. The progress of advanced technologies, including AI, is advancing at a speed that cannot be captured by mere extensions of the past. Particularly in cyberspace, while AI has great power in discovering vulnerabilities, analysis, and defense support, if its capabilities are abused, the capabilities of the attacking side can also increase dramatically. Therefore, the basic policy handled by the National Intelligence Council and the National Intelligence Strategy to be formulated in the future should incorporate mechanisms to constantly grasp the discontinuous changes brought about by technological innovation across AI, cyber, OSINT, critical infrastructure, economic security, and the cognitive domain, and to respond rapidly across the entire government. This bill is a starting point for strengthening our country's intelligence capabilities. At the same time, its legitimacy cannot be maintained unless democratic control, human rights protection, and the objectivity of intelligence analysis are constantly ensured.
We strongly demand that the government fulfill its accountability to the Diet, protect the freedom and rights of the people, and operate in a way that enhances the nation's intelligence capabilities while preventing the politicization of intelligence. From that position, I state my support for the Bill to Establish the National Intelligence Council, and conclude my discussion. That is all.