Security Council of Japan

The Security Council of Japan (Japanese: 安全保障会議, romanized: Anzen-Hoshō-Kaigi) was the nine-person national security council which advises the prime minister on national security and the military and deals with a wide spectrum of issues which indirectly affect Japan's broader interests, including basic national defense policy, the National Defense Program Outline, the outline on coordinating industrial production and other matters related to the National Defense Program Outline, including decisions on diplomatic initiatives and defense operations.

Like its predecessor, the National Defense Council, the SC had problems with its mandate, structure, secretariat and functions, but it was considered an improvement for its ability to coordinate with parts of the Japanese governments by conducting half a dozen meetings frequently.

History

The Security Council of Japan was formed to correct the shortcomings of its predecessor, the National Defense Council (NDC). The NDC was established in 1956 as Japan's first post‑war institution for coordinating national security policy. It was designed to serve as a deliberative body to ensure civilian oversight of defense policy and prevent the formation of autonomous military authority. The NDC was established under the Defense Agency Establishment Act (1954) and the Act for the Formation of the NDC (1956) as an advisory body of five cabinet ministers: the Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Finance, Deputy‑General of the Defense Agency, and Director‑General of the Economic Planning Agency. The primary purpose of the council was to ensure "careful deliberation for the sake of civilian control" of the newly created Japanese Self‑Defense Force.

The NDC did not allow former members of the Imperial Military or the JSDF to participate as part of post‑war demilitarization. Despite this, the NDC soon became criticized for its inefficiency and lack of coordination between ministries, notably between the Defense Agency, the Foreign Ministry, and the Cabinet Secretariat. Several proposals attempted to strengthen civilian control and inter‑ministerial coordination; however, none were enacted.