Foreign policy adviser Shotaro Yachi has been asked to head up Japan's version of the U.S. National Security Council if the Diet backs its launch, government officials said.
The government considers Yachi, a former vice foreign minister who now advises Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, well qualified to supervise the some 60 officials, including military personnel, who will compile Japan's policies on diplomacy and security, given his wealth of expertise, they said.
But Yachi, 69, is reluctant to take the post because of his age and his position as a board member at a private company.
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