Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said China and North Korea are building up their military forces around Japan and that cooperation between China and Russia, and between Russia and North Korea, is growing closer, making it necessary to expand the country's foreign intelligence functions. She cited the worsening geopolitical environment as grounds for overhauling the intelligence apparatus.
The Japanese government held the first meeting of an expert panel to discuss strengthening national intelligence-gathering capabilities and counterespionage measures, Bloomberg reported on the 28th. After the 17-member panel wrapped up its closed-door session, Takaichi told reporters that strengthening Japan's intelligence capabilities is an urgent task. "We need to expand our foreign intelligence functions to prevent undue interference from abroad," she said.
Takaichi pointed to the illegal leakage of advanced technology involving foreign intelligence operatives and attempts to manipulate public opinion through the spread of disinformation as key threats. "Under these circumstances, strengthening our intelligence capabilities is essential to protecting the safety and peace of mind of the Japanese people," she said.
Takaichi, regarded as a security hawk, has made stronger defenses against foreign influence operations a core policy goal as she approaches the first anniversary of taking office. She aims to establish an independent intelligence agency comparable to the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency by March 2028.
She is also pushing for anti-espionage legislation to close gaps that critics say leave Japan weaker than other major countries. As a first step, Japan launched a national intelligence office in July. The body coordinates the collection of information related to national security and public safety across the government and the wider public sector.
Takaichi has argued that the absence of anti-espionage legislation makes it difficult to catch spies and to negotiate exchanges with countries that have detained Japanese nationals on espionage charges. According to Japan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, China has detained more than 10 Japanese nationals over the past decade or so on espionage or national security-related charges.
Japan dismantled much of its wartime intelligence-gathering apparatus after its defeat in World War II. For decades afterward, concerns about a revival of authoritarianism blocked efforts to rebuild domestic and foreign intelligence operations. Opinion polls have shown that support for Takaichi's initiative is generally prevailing.
Takaichi has also launched a body equivalent to the U.S. Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, or CFIUS, to monitor threats originating overseas. The move is intended to broaden and tighten screening of foreign investment. The government also plans to set up a separate expert panel to discuss counterterrorism measures.
