Japan is preparing to bring about an unprecedented security transformation since the end of World War II, by establishing the first central intelligence agency that brings together under its umbrella tens of thousands of workers in government and security agencies, to confront espionage, cyber attacks, and foreign influence operations linked to China, Russia, and North Korea.
According to a report by journalist Eli Leon in the Israeli newspaper “Maariv”, the government of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is working to establish the agency as part of a broad effort to strengthen the country’s defense and security capabilities in the face of escalating regional threats.
In recent months, the Japanese government has turned to the United States, Australia, and Germany, requesting advice on technology, human resources, cybersecurity, and identifying intelligence priorities.
The report attached a Reuters photo of US President Donald Trump, Takaichi, and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
The project aims to address the fragmentation that the Japanese intelligence system suffers from, as the security services, the police, and the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Defense collect information separately, without sharing it in a systematic and organized manner.
Experts believe that this structure has made Japan extremely vulnerable to espionage, technology theft, and external interference.
US intelligence officials offered Tokyo assistance in developing cyber defense systems, combating industrial espionage, and strengthening oversight of foreign investments and the activity of foreign agents.
The head of the German intelligence service also recently visited Tokyo and discussed with Japanese officials ways to improve the exchange of information between the two countries, while Australia provides advice to Japan in the technological field, and on how to oblige ministries and government agencies to cooperate and exchange information.
Australian Ambassador to Japan Andrew Shearer, who previously served as his country’s head of national intelligence, said Japanese capabilities had remained frozen for decades.
Shearer considered that simply turning this file into a national priority was an important step.
The report also attached a Reuters photo showing Japan, the United States, Germany and Australia participating in joint military training.
The new agency is expected to begin work in December, with a budget of about $407 million.
In the first phase, the agency is expected to include hundreds of employees, including software engineers, cybersecurity experts, and liaison officers working abroad.
At a later stage, the agency will coordinate the work of about 33,000 intelligence employees, currently spread across government ministries, the police, and the security system.
In parallel with the establishment of the agency, a central intelligence council will be established, headed by the Prime Minister, to be a center for leadership and coordination between various agencies.
The project aims to protect classified information, critical infrastructure and sensitive technologies, as well as detect foreign influence operations.
In recent years, researchers have monitored Japanese-language websites impersonating news platforms and disseminating pro-China messages.
This move continues the path established by former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who was assassinated in 2022.
Abe had established a National Security Council and pushed for a law to protect state secrets, in an attempt to transform Japan into a country capable of defending itself and playing a more influential international role.
Takaichi, who was considered one of the most prominent political figures close to Abe, seeks to expand these changes and build an integrated intelligence community.
The urgent need for the project increased after reports indicated that dozens of Russian spies had moved to Japan in recent years, as part of efforts to purchase components used in weapons, transfer them to Russia, and circumvent the sanctions imposed on it.
Foreign officials had warned Tokyo against this activity, but the Japanese authorities’ response was considered slow.
The government asserts that the new agency will help the country confront espionage, cyber attacks and disinformation campaigns.
The report attached a Reuters photo of Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi.
However, the project raises opposition from Japanese representatives and activists, who fear that privacy will be compromised and the country will turn into a surveillance state.
Critics of the project recall the experience of the Toku police during the Japanese imperial era, which pursued political opponents before World War II.
On the other hand, Takaichi and her allies say that the new security reality requires this change.
The Prime Minister has previously pushed to expand defense industry exports and accelerated Japan’s largest military build-up in the post-war era.
It also supports tightening anti-espionage laws and establishing an external intelligence service similar to the US Central Intelligence Agency.
For years, Japan was considered a “paradise for spies,” due to its reliance on American intelligence information and its lack of an independent agency with broad powers.
The reform’s chances of success depend on Takaichi’s ability to overcome competition within the Japanese bureaucracy, improve information sharing, and integrate artificial intelligence and advanced technological tools into intelligence work.
However, experts warn that structural change alone will not be sufficient, unless the agency is granted effective powers and is at the same time subject to public oversight. Japan will find itself facing a delicate equation between protecting its security from its adversaries and preventing the new agency from becoming a source of threat to freedoms within it.
