Cabinet Office (Japan)

The Cabinet Office (Japanese: 内閣府 / ないかくふ, Naikaku fu) is one of the organs of the Japanese Cabinet, headed by the Prime Minister (also known as the Cabinet Prime Minister). In addition to handling the affairs under the Prime Minister's jurisdiction, it is also responsible for assisting the Cabinet in formulating and adjusting policies to enhance the functions of the Cabinet. Its predecessor was the Prime Minister's Office, established in 1949. During the reorganization of central government ministries in 2001, in order to strengthen horizontal communication among Cabinet organs and unify the policies of the entire Cabinet, the Economic Planning Agency, the Okinawa Development Agency, the General Affairs Agency, the Science and Technology Agency, and the Ministry of Construction were merged into the Prime Minister's Office on January 6, 2001, and it was restructured into the current Cabinet Office.