{
  "id": 4139099,
  "title": "Japan’s National Police Agency to Establish New Bureau to Increase International Intelligence Capabilities",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/29/japans-national-police-agency-to-establish-new-bureau-to-increase",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-29T07:29:58.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Japan News by The Yomiuri Shimbun",
    "slug": "the-japan-news-by-the-yomiuri-shimbun",
    "url": "https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/politics/politics-government/20260829-346150/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The National Police Agency of Japan plans to establish a new bureau focused on enhancing international intelligence capabilities, as part of a planned reorganization in April next year. The new bureau's primary duties will include gathering and analyzing information on espionage and terrorism cases, with the aim of bolstering law enforcement authorities' intelligence capabilities. It is hoped that a revision bill to the Police Law will be submitted to the Diet session next year to facilitate this process. The establishment of the bureau will involve upgrading the Foreign Affairs and Intelligence Department within the Security Bureau to an independent entity, building upon the government's July 31 establishment of the National Intelligence Bureau as the central command for intelligence operations. Following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Japanese police have strengthened their collection and analysis of terror-related information, and in 2004, the Foreign Affairs and Intelligence Department was created to deepen collaboration with international intelligence agencies. The new bureau will restructure the Foreign Affairs Division and Counter International Terrorism Division of the Security Bureau into three divisions, with a focus on enhancing information gathering on countries such as Russia, China, and North Korea. The NPA currently operates five bureaus, including the Criminal Affairs Bureau and Community Safety Bureau, alongside the Commissioner General's Secretariat, responsible for personnel and accounting matters. This bureau will be the first new establishment since the creation of the Cyber Affairs Bureau in 2022. Additionally, the Commissioner General's Secretariat plans to create a post for cross-sectional analysis of security intelligence from each bureau. To combat \"tokuryu\" anonymous and fluid criminal groups, the NPA also intends to create a bureau-chief level position for international investigations and smartphone analysis, in light of these groups' establishment of scam bases in Southeast Asia and their need for international investigations. The reorganization will dissolve the Organized Crime Department within the Criminal Affairs Bureau, with new divisions such as organized crime groups and international investigations being established instead. The National Police Agency announced its plans to expand the use of wearable cameras nationwide, allocating about ¥170 million in its budget request for fiscal 2027 to deploy approximately 2,000 cameras. The cameras will be worn by police officers on their chests or helmets during questioning and traffic enforcement, with footage used to review officers' responses and collect evidence in cases and accidents. Pilot projects have been conducted in Tokyo and 12 other prefectural police departments, showing promising results.",
  "summary": "Yomiuri Shimbun file photoThe National Police Agency in Tokyo The Yomiuri Shimbun [posttime] JST, [postdate] The National Police Agency has announced that it plans to establish a foreign intelligence bureau in a scheduled reorganization in April next year. The establishment of the new bureau, which will be tasked with gathering and analyzing information on espionage cases …",
  "key_points": [
    "New bureau to boost Japan's international intelligence capabilities.",
    "Bureau to focus on espionage and terrorism case analysis.",
    "Revision bill to Police Law expected next year."
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}