Japanese Defense Ministry Holds Expert Panel Meeting to Discuss Prevention of Misconduct in SDF

The Yomiuri Shimbun

14:56 JST, August 3, 2024

The Defense Ministry held the second meeting of its expert panel on Friday, which discussed how to prevent the recurrence of a series of misconducts within the Self-Defense Forces.

The panel discussed such acts of misconduct in the ministry and the SDF as the improper handling of specially designated secrets and other classified information related to security.

At the meeting, Defense Minister Minoru Kihara apologized for the misconducts and said, “All of us are making efforts toward preventing recurrence.”

Sadayuki Sakakibara, former chairman of the Japan Business Federation (Keidanren) and the chair of the expert panel, demanded the enforcement of strict official discipline, saying the series of misconducts “damaged the public’s trust [in the SDF].”

He told reporters, “The public’s trust is essential for strengthening defense capabilities,” urging for action to regain it under Kihara’s leadership.

At the meeting, it was also reported by the ministry that a new entity will be established in October, tentatively called a defense innovation technological research institute, to be located in the Yebisu Garden Place building complex in Shibuya Ward, Tokyo.

The panel comprises 17 members, including Sakakibara, Shinichi Kitaoka, a professor emeritus at the University of Tokyo, and The Yomiuri Shimbun Holdings President Toshikazu Yamaguchi.