| Shigeru Kitamura | |
|---|---|
| 北村滋 | |
 Official portrait, 2019 | |
| Secretary General of the National Security Secretariat | |
| In office 13 September 2019 – 7 July 2021 | |
| Prime Minister | Shinzo Abe Yoshihide Suga |
| Preceded by | Shotaro Yachi |
| Succeeded by | Takeo Akiba |
| Director of Cabinet Intelligence | |
| In office 27 December 2011 – 11 September 2019 | |
| Prime Minister | Yoshihiko Noda Shinzo Abe |
| Preceded by | Shin'ichi Uemastu |
| Succeeded by | Hiroaki Takizawa |
| Personal details | |
| Born | (1956-12-27) 27 December 1956 (age 67) Tokyo, Japan |
| Education | Kaisei Academy |
| Alma mater | University of Tokyo |
Shigeru Kitamura (北村 滋, Kitamura Shigeru, born 27 December 1956) is a Japanese police officer who served as Secretary General of the National Security Secretariat from 2019 to 2021 and Director of Cabinet Intelligence from 2011 to 2019.
Kitamura was a trusted advisor to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on matters of national security.
Biography
Shigeru Kitamura was born on 27 December 1956 in Tokyo. After attending Kaisei Academy, Kitamura studied law at the University of Tokyo. He joined the National Police Agency after graduating in 1980. While in the agency he was sent for further training at the École nationale d'administration in France.
Kitamura's early career included time as a local police chief, as first secretary to the Embassy of Japan in France, and as division chief in the Security Bureau and the Traffic Bureau. In August 2002 he became chief of the Tokushima Prefectural police. In April 2004 he was appointed chief of the Security Division in the Security Bureau, and in August of the same year he was transferred to chief of the Foreign Affairs Division. In this position he was in charge of the police response to cases of North Korean abductions of Japanese citizens and worked closely with then Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Shinzo Abe.
During Abe's first term as prime minister from September 2006 to September 2007, Kitamura served as one of his secretaries. Afterwards Kitamura became chief of the Criminal Affairs Planning Division of the Criminal Affairs Bureau, before being appointed chief of the Hyogo Prefectural police in April 2009. The following year he became chief of the Foreign Affairs and Intelligence Department of the Security Bureau.
Cabinet Secretariat
Kitamura was appointed Director of Cabinet Intelligence under Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda in December 2011. He remained in office when Shinzo Abe returned as prime minister in December 2012. Kitamura became one of the officials with whom Abe met most frequently, reflecting Abe's desire to take charge of foreign and security policy. Kitamura championed the strengthening of the intelligence capabilities of the Cabinet Secretariat. He was involved in the adoption of the State Secrecy Law and the foundation of the National Security Council in 2013. In October 2018, he met with his North Korean counterparts from the United Front Department of the Workers' Party of Korea in Mongolia to discuss the abduction issue.
Along with a cabinet reshuffle in September 2019, Kitamura was appointed Secretary General of the National Security Secretariat. He participated in several top level meetings, including with US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Kitamura emphasised the importance of economic security and established an Economic Section in the National Security Secretariat in April 2020. Kitamura remained in office when Shinzo Abe was replaced by Yoshihide Suga, but he retired in July 2021 due to health issues.
Retirement
In September 2021 he established an economic security consulting firm, where he's since served as representative director. The firm partnered with American Global Strategies, the consulting firm of Robert C. O'Brien, Kitamura's American counterpart as National Security Advisor from 2019 to 2021. Kitamura also became senior advisor at American Global Strategies.
In November of the same year he was appointed to a expert council to advise the cabinet on economic security legislation. The Economic Security Act was adopted in May 2022. Kitamura became an auditor of the Nippon Television Network Corporation and Nippon Television Holdings the following month. He became president of the Yomiuri International Economic Society in July of the same year.
Awards and honors
Foreign honours
France:
- Officer of the Ordre national du Mérite – May 1995
- Officer of the Legion of Honour – June 2022
United States: Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Public Service – January 2020
Australia: Australian Intelligence Medal – January 2022
Taiwan: Order of Brilliant Star with Grand Cordon – December 2023
References
- ^ "国家安全保障局長 兼 内閣特別顧問". Cabinet Secretariat. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
- ^ "Shigeru Kitamura". American Global Strategies. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
- ^ Oguchi, Yoshinobu (22 February 2022). "Ｍｒ．インテリジェンスの正体は政権中枢での１０年". NHK. Tokyo. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
- ^ Peng Er, Lam; Jain, Purnendra (15 April 2020). Japan's Foreign Policy in the Twenty-First Century: Continuity and Change. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield. p. 83. ISBN 9781498587969.
- Gallagher, Ryan; Noguchi, Ed (May 19, 2018). "The Untold Story of Japan's Secret Spy Agency". Archived from the original on May 21, 2018.
A third organization, called the Cabinet Intelligence and Research Organization, or CIRO, is the ultimate beneficiary of intelligence that is collected. Headed by a powerful figure named Shigeru Kitamura, it oversees the work of both the directorate and J6 and is connected to the prime minister's office, based out of a building known as "H20," a short walk from the prime minister's official residence in Tokyo's Chiyoda district.
- "Abductee families concerned over death of Kim's half brother". Manila Shimbun. February 15, 2017.
The meeting was chaired by Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Kazuhiro Sugita and also attended by Assistant Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobukatsu Kanehara, Shotaro Yachi, head of the secretariat of Japan's National Security Council, and Shigeru Kitamura, director of cabinet intelligence.
- Kyodo News (October 19, 2018). "Japan, North Korea intelligence officials held secret meeting in October in Mongolia". The Japan Times.
- "北村前安保局長の会社、前米大統領補佐官側と提携 経済安保の情報提供". The Sankei Shimbun. Tokyo. 27 October 2021. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
- "北村滋・前国家安全保障局長、ＹＩＥＳ理事長に…理事長交代は２０年ぶり". The Yomiuri Shimbun. Tokyo. 26 July 2022. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
- "Remise de la Légion d'honneur à M. Shigeru Kitamura". Ambassade de France au Japon. Retrieved 4 March 2024.
- Teng, Pei-ju (26 December 2023). "President Tsai awards medal to ex-Japan national security chief". Central News Agency. Retrieved 27 December 2023. and Liu, Tzu-hsuan (27 December 2023). "Tsai honors former Japan official for promoting ties". Taipei Times. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
| Government offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded byShin'ichi Uemastu | Director of Cabinet Intelligence 2011–2019 |
Succeeded byHiroaki Takizawa |
| Preceded byShotaro Yachi | National Security Advisor to the Cabinet 2019–2021 |
Succeeded byTakeo Akiba |