Japanese government seeks replacement after 3 1/2 years of national security director

The Yomiuri Shimbun and Nihon Keizai Shimbun reported that the Japanese government will soon retire Takeo Akiba, director of the National Security Agency, and appoint Masataka Okano, 60, deputy foreign minister, to replace him.

Deputy Foreign Minister Okano was an orthodox diplomatic official who joined the Foreign Ministry in 1987 and served as the Embassy of the Republic of Korea, the Embassy of the Republic of Korea, and the Director of the General Foreign Policy Bureau.

If the current director Akiba, who is also a former vice foreign minister, changes this time, it will be the first change in about three and a half years.

Akiba took office in July 2021 during the Yoshihide Suga administration and participated deeply in discussions on revising the three major security documents, including the "National Security Strategy" in 2022 during the Kishida Fumio administration, and introducing "active cyber defenses."

The National Security Agency is an organization that coordinates Japan's foreign and security policies and is the secretariat of the National Security Council (NSC), chaired by the prime minister.

The Yomiuri Shimbun said, "The new director of national security should assist Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba to build relations with the next U.S. government, Donald Trump, and seek early introduction of an active cyber defense system."