Japan Builds 1st Central Intelligence Agency Since WWII as Russian Spy Pressure Mounts
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jul 13
Japan Builds 1st Central Intelligence Agency Since WWII as Russian Spy Pressure Mounts
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jul 13
Summary
Japan is creating its first centralized intelligence agency since World War II, a major overhaul of a system long split among police, diplomats and defense officials.
In recent months, Japanese leaders have quietly sought advice from the United States, Australia and Germany on technology, staffing and operational priorities for the new body.
The push follows warnings that fragmented intelligence sharing left Japan vulnerable to espionage and foreign interference, including a recent influx of dozens of Russian spies.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has made the agency part of a broader security shift that already includes lifting weapons-export bans and pursuing Japan’s biggest postwar defense buildup.