Japan lower house passes bill for new intel body, enactment by July likely

TOKYO - Japan's House of Representatives on Thursday passed a bill to establish a national intelligence committee to bolster the government's information-gathering capabilities, with enactment expected before the current parliamentary session ends in mid-July, backed by major opposition parties.

The legislation comes as Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, a national security hawk, aims to centralize the country's intelligence capabilities under one council in the face of increasingly sophisticated overseas threats, including those related to economic security and foreign espionage.