The National Security Council is the principal forum used by the Prime Minister and Cabinet of Japan to coordinate and deliberate on security and defense policies for Japan.

The prime minister of Japan is the head of government and the highest political position of Japan. The prime minister chairs the Cabinet of Japan and has the ability to select and dismiss its ministers of state. The prime minister also serves as the commander-in-chief of the Japan Self Defence Forces and is a sitting member of either house of the National Diet. The current prime minister is Fumio Kishida of the Liberal Democratic Party, who assumed the office on 4 October 2021.