New spy agency, higher defence spending, lethal arms exports: Japan’s security reset explained

Japan launched the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB), replacing the Cabinet Intelligence and Research Office (CIRO), to centralize intelligence collection and analysis.

The NIB will handle counterterrorism, foreign espionage, counter-espionage, and national emergency response, and will report to the prime minister-chaired National Intelligence Council.

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi drove the reform, advocating stronger security measures and revising Japan's pacifist constitution.

Japan removed its ban on exporting lethal weapons, marking a shift away from its 1947 constitution's pacifist principles.

Japan's defence budget for the current financial year stands at $52 billion, with a target of 2% of GDP defence spending by 2027.