Japan's Intelligence Transformation
Japan Forms First Centralized Intelligence Agency Since WWII with Western Alliance Support
Anonymous
Key Points
1
U.S. input to Japan’s proposed centralized intelligence framework includes guidance on cyber defense improvements, stronger counter-espionage measures, and heightened scrutiny of foreign investments and agents operating in Japan.
2
Germany’s foreign intelligence service chief (BND) visited Tokyo to discuss the planned agency and ways to strengthen intelligence-sharing between Japan and Germany.
3
Australia has advised on technology strategies and on boosting inter-ministerial coordination and intelligence sharing.
4
Dozens of Russian spies have moved to Japan in recent years as Moscow seeks to procure weapon components and evade sanctions.
5
The reform is described as part of countering foreign influence operations, including the context of documented foreign interference in Japan’s elections.
Japan is building its first centralized intelligence agency since World War II, reorganizing its Cabinet Intelligence and Research Office into a new National Intelligence Agency overseen by a Prime Minister-led National Intelligence Council, according to Beijing Bulletin. The United States, Germany, and Australia are all helping shape the plan.
The move is part of Japan's largest postwar defense build-up, as Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi pushes to counter growing threats from China, Russia, and North Korea, TradingView reported.
How the New Agency Will Actually Work
Japan's current intelligence system is spread across many ministries and agencies. They rarely share information with each other. The new National Intelligence Agency aims to fix that by creating a single command hub, according to Beijing News. A National Intelligence Council, led by the Prime Minister, will oversee the whole operation.
Australia helped advise Japan on technology protection strategies and how to get ministries to better share intelligence, Shanghai News reported. Germany's foreign intelligence chief, the head of the BND, traveled to Tokyo directly to discuss the new agency and ways to deepen intelligence-sharing between the two countries.
Russia Has Been Using Japan as a Spy Hub
Dozens of Russian spies have moved to Japan in recent years, according to Dagens. Moscow has used the country as a base to smuggle weapon parts and dodge Western sanctions. One operation ran under the cover of a normal import-export business.
The investigation by TRT World, cited by Dagens, found that Russia built a sophisticated procurement network inside Japan. Reformers say this is exactly why Japan needs a stronger, centralized spy agency — one that can detect and stop foreign operatives before they get too deep.
U.S. Input Focuses on Cyber and Espionage Defenses
The United States has provided guidance on three main areas: improving cyber defense, strengthening counter-espionage laws, and tightening scrutiny of foreign investments in Japan, according to TradingView. Japan currently lacks a law that directly mirrors the U.S. Foreign Agents Registration Act.
The reform also targets foreign influence operations, including documented interference in Japanese elections, Beijing Bulletin reported. Officials say the fragmented old system left Japan exposed. The new agency is meant to close those gaps.
Japan's Broader Military Shift Alarms the Region
The intelligence overhaul fits inside a much bigger security shift. Takaichi's government is also pushing to lift Japan's decades-old weapon export restrictions and grow its defense budget to levels not seen since World War II, according to Shanghai News.
Analysts warn the moves will raise tensions with China, which closely watches any expansion of Japanese military and intelligence power. But Japan's Western allies see the reforms as key to locking in a stronger Indo-Pacific security front, TradingView reported.
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