Robert Ward hosts Professor Kotani Ken, Professor of College of Risk Management at Nihon University, for an in-depth discussion on the recent reforms of Japan’s intelligence capabilities.

Together, they explore:

The significance of the recent setting up of Japan’s first National Intelligence Bureau and National Intelligence Council
Japan’s strengths and weaknesses in intelligence capabilities
Japan’s further cooperation with foreign intelligence agencies
Upcoming related intelligence policies and reforms

Recommended readings from our guests:

Brad Williams, Japanese Foreign Intelligence and Grand Strategy: From the Cold War to the Abe Era, (Washington DC: Georgetown University Press, 2021), 280pp.

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Date recorded: 31 July 2026

Japan Memo is recorded and produced at the IISS in London.

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Robert Ward hosts Professor Kotani Ken, Professor of College of Risk Management at Nihon University, for an in-depth discussion on the recent reforms of Japan’s intelligence capabilities.

Together, they explore:

The significance of the recent setting up of Japan’s first National Intelligence Bureau and National Intelligence Council
Japan’s strengths and weaknesses in intelligence capabilities
Japan’s further cooperation with foreign intelligence agencies
Upcoming related intelligence policies and reforms

Japan’s intelligence reforms with Profes...