On July 31, Japan established its national intelligence bureau when Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi presided over the inaugural meeting of the National Intelligence Council, which will oversee it. It marks the country's first centralized intelligence command since World War II. The bureau will serve as the council's secretariat, coordinate cross-agency intelligence activities and oversee intelligence integration, assessment and analysis.

CGTN interviewed Tokyo residents about their views on the establishment of the new intelligence bureau and the government's rationale. Residents raised concerns about government centralization, potential impacts on privacy and civil liberties. Masayuki Nabekura said past cases of unlawful personal information collection made it difficult to trust the government, while others worried that consolidating sensitive data without public knowledge could create unforeseen risks and increase potential for government control.