The History of CIRO

The Secretariat Research Office of the Prime Minister, predecessor of CIRO, was established in 1952 to ensure our country can overcome challenges in the international environment and achieve recovery and prosperity after World War Ⅱ.

While our initial size was limited, our capacity has been strengthened over the ages in order to promptly adapt to challenges of the time both at home and abroad. We have been supporting the Cabinet and contributing to the prosperity and security of the nation.

Chronology

1952: The Secretariat Research Office of the Prime Minister was established within the Prime Minister’s Office.
1957: The Secretariat Research Office of the Prime Minister was reorganized into the Cabinet Research Office (CRO) of the Cabinet Secretariat.
1986: CIRO was established as the successor to the CRO as part of reform to bolster capacity and function of the Cabinet Secretariat.
1996: The Situation Center of the Cabinet was established in the wake of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake to improve integration of information during emergencies.
2001: The position of the Director of Cabinet Intelligence was created as the head of CIRO following the reorganization of government ministries.
The Cabinet Satellite Intelligence Center was established for the development and operation of Information-Gathering Satellites, as well as collection and analysis of imagery information.
2008: The National Counterintelligence Center was established to better protect our sensitive information from espionage by foreign intelligence agencies.
A new position, the Cabinet Intelligence Officer, was created to be charged with conducting comprehensive analysis based on all information available to the government.
2014: The Act on the Protection of Specially Designated Secrets came into effect.
2016: The Counter-Terrorism Unit-Japan (CTU-J) was created as an intelligence collection team working directly under the Prime Minister’s Office.
The Cabinet CT Intelligence Coordination Center was established, responsible for integrating information and coordinating intelligence requirements.
2018: The Counter-Terrorism and-Intelligence Information Data Exchange Center (CTI-INDEX) was established, aimed at enhancing swift information sharing and analysis on international terrorism and other matters relevant to its mandate.