Jurisdiction Government of Japan Agency executive Shigeru Kitamura | Employees 170–175 Parent agency Cabinet Secretariat | |
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Headquarters Nagatacho, Tokyo, Japan | ||
Naichō (内調), an abbreviation for Naikaku Jōhō Chōsashitsu (内閣情報調査室, Cabinet Intelligence and Research Office), is an intelligence agency of Japan, an agency of the Cabinet Secretariat, which reports directly to the Prime Minister.
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The agency is said to be an equal to the American Central Intelligence Agency. However, it is often criticized as being rather ineffectual, spending most of its energy translating foreign publications rather than gathering any substantial intelligence while being accused of spying on Japanese nationals on domestic soil.
Organization
According to its official web site, organization of Naicho is as follows.
Known heads of Naicho
Satellite surveillance
The Cabinet Satellite Intelligence Center (CSICE) is a subdivision of the agency operating a network of surveillance satellites, such as the IGS-Optical and IGS-Radar series.
Spy scandal
On January 17, 2008, an official of Naichō was charged for spying for Russians, passing them classified information. The Russians denied the claim. Since then, there had been calls for greater accountability on Naicho.