Defense Agency to open Washington office

TOKYO — The Defense Agency has decided to open a liaison office in charge of military data in Washington to strengthen ties with U.S. intelligence agencies, a Japanese daily reported Sunday. The Mainichi Shimbun said the agency will send a senior defense policy bureau official to Washington later this year to open the office early next year.

The office will operate independently from the Japanese Embassy in Washington to better coordinate with the U.S. intelligence community, particularly with the Defense Intelligence Agency and the National Security Agency, the report said."