Japan's national security policy making under the second Abe cabinet: The role of the National Security Council / Secretariat

The establishment of the National Security Council (NSC) and the National Security Secretariat (NSS) significantly changed Japan's national security policy-making process. The regular four-minister meetings help establish common understanding among the top four officials on security issues of the Japanese government, and serve as the forum for crisis management. The NSS helps minimize the sectionalism and rivalry among the ministries and the agencies in the national security policy process. Under the second Abe government, the NSC became a substantial policy-making forum for the cabinet ministers, playing a pivotal role in producing the National Security Strategy, reinterpreting the constitution for collective self-defense, drafting the 2015 security legislation, and creating the new principles for the transfer of defense equipment.