Japan enacts law to create US-style National Security Council

Japan's parliament on Wednesday approved a bill to create a National Security Council, which will expand the command functions of the prime minister's office in drawing up country's foreign and security policies. The council, similar to the US National Security Council, is expected to become a national security command center and to enhance coordination among different government agencies involved in the country's foreign and defense affairs. According to the plan, the entity will set up a meeting of four ministers, consisting of the Prime Minister, Chief Cabinet Secretary, Foreign Minister and Defense Minister. The four will share information on diplomacy and defense and draw up government policies when they meet twice a month. The head office will be set up within the Cabinet Secretariat, together with an administrative office with some 60 staff members. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is trying to strengthen Japan's security infrastructure amid China's maritime assertiveness and North Korea's nuclear and missile development. The enactment of the law came after the Lower House of parliament on Tuesday passed a controversial new state secrets bill that will impose tougher penalties on leakers of state secrets despite concerns among the public. The legislation was sent to the Upper House, which is also controlled by the ruling bloc, which aims to enact it before the current parliament session ends on Dec. 6 with approvals from both chambers. Abe has said the state secrecy bill is needed to allow the US and other allies to share sensitive security information with Japan, which will make the National Security Council function effectively. Under the proposed law, information concerning diplomacy, defense, counter-terrorism or espionage can be classified as a state secret. Bureaucrats who leak state secrets would face a maximum prison term of 10 years, up from the present one year, if convicted. Journalists and others in the private sector who get information "inappropriately" or "wrongfully" would also get up to five years in prison.