The government will conclude this year a criminal investigation cooperation treaty with the United States that would allow agencies to bypass diplomatic channels in exchanging information, government sources said.
It would be the first pact of its kind for Japan, the sources said earlier this week.
The government intends to sign the agreement in the first half of the year and ratify it at an extraordinary Diet session in the fall by submitting amendments to an international investigative cooperation law and a law designed to combat organized crime.
Currently, investigative authorities can only submit requests through diplomatic channels for foreign states to help with investigations, such as questioning witnesses and collecting evidence, because the laws stipulate such cooperation must be conducted via the appropriate routes.
The requests are made through the Foreign Ministry via the Justice Ministry. Responses and foreign requests are made in the same manner.
The laws have been criticized as they hinder speedy responses to the requests and the mobility of investigative processes.
Japan and the U.S. have been negotiating the treaty for several years and have recently agreed on its details, the sources said.