Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks during the National Defense Academy's graduation ceremony in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, in March. The Japanese leader currently has the political and procedural leverage to pursue sweeping reforms, including the creation of an intelligence agency modeled on the CIA. | Bloomberg Long neglected, but critical to the success of Japan’s defense modernization effort, is reform of the national intelligence infrastructure. National security requires not only the means to defend the nation but the intelligence to guide decision-making. The government of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is taking steps to improve that capability with passage of the National Intelligence Council Law. Opposition to the measure has been limited; to their credit, opposition parties understand the importance of this legislation and are focusing on genuine issues, not political grandstanding. Chief among them are safeguards to protect individual rights.…