"National Intelligence Agency" Released, New Evidence of Japan's Military Expansion and Armament

Xinhua News Agency, Tokyo, July 31 (Reporters Chen Ze'an, Li Ziyue, Liang Chen) - The "National Security Council," chaired by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, held its first meeting on July 31, and the "National Intelligence Agency," its executive body, was officially established on the same day.

Analysts believe that the Takaichi administration has thus completed the first step in reforming Japan's intelligence system, which will subsequently enhance both domestic and foreign intelligence activities and capabilities, and promote a comprehensive upgrade of Japan's intelligence framework. This series of actions is by no means a simple institutional adjustment, but rather an important part of Japan's path toward military expansion and armament.

Centralization of the Intelligence System

The "National Security Council" and the "National Intelligence Agency" were established based on the "National Security Council Establishment Act," which was passed by the Japanese Diet in May this year. The "National Security Council" occupies a core position in Japan's national intelligence system according to this law, coordinating and integrating the intelligence functions of various departments, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Justice, and the National Police Agency, thus being referred to as the "command tower" of intelligence work. This mechanism is chaired by the Prime Minister, with members including the Chief Cabinet Secretary, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Minister of Defense, and other cabinet ministers.

The "National Intelligence Agency" undertakes the functions of the secretariat for the "National Security Council" and is granted comprehensive coordination authority over the intelligence work of various government departments. The "National Intelligence Agency" is upgraded from the existing Cabinet Intelligence and Research Office, with an initial staff size of about 730, roughly equivalent to that of the former Cabinet Intelligence and Research Office. However, its head has a higher rank, equivalent to that of the Director of the National Security Bureau.

The first director of the "National Intelligence Agency" is Kazuya Hara, the former head of the Cabinet Intelligence and Research Office. Hara comes from the police system and has long been engaged in national security work, having also served at the Japanese embassies in Russia and the United States.

The establishment of the "National Intelligence Agency" raised concerns about excessive power expansion during the legislative phase. Chen Jingjing, an associate researcher at the Japan Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, stated that the newly established "National Intelligence Agency" is on par with the National Security Bureau established in 2014, and both are directly accountable to the Prime Minister. This means that Japan's security and intelligence work are directly managed by the Prime Minister, further centralizing power.

Strengthening Domestic and Foreign Intelligence Collection

Strengthening control over cross-departmental intelligence work, and establishing the "National Security Council" and "National Intelligence Agency," is just the first step in the Takaichi administration's push for reforming Japan's intelligence system.

According to Japanese media reports, the Japanese government plans to draft its first "National Intelligence Strategy" next, while also advancing the formulation of an "Anti-espionage Law" to create so-called "anti-espionage legal regulations," and aims to submit this bill during the regular Diet session next year. In addition, the Japanese government plans to establish a "Foreign Intelligence Bureau" by the end of March 2028 to upgrade its foreign intelligence work.

It is evident that Japan is undergoing a comprehensive adjustment of its national intelligence system, forming a vertical structure centered around the "National Security Council" and "National Intelligence Agency," and strengthening both domestic and foreign intelligence collection through the promotion of the "Anti-espionage Law" and the establishment of the "Foreign Intelligence Bureau."

Chinese scholar Sun Zhenggang, residing in Japan, believes that the aforementioned measures aim to enhance Japan's intelligence acquisition and assessment capabilities in various aspects, especially to strengthen its response to so-called "hybrid threats," ensure economic security, and improve intelligence integration capabilities in areas such as cyberspace and outer space. In the long run, Japan intends to reduce its dependence on the United States in the intelligence field and build an independent all-source intelligence system to support its so-called "strategic autonomy" decision-making needs.

Accelerating "Re-Militarization"

The series of measures in the intelligence field since Takaichi took office has sparked significant controversy within Japan. Many Japanese media outlets have compared these developments to the notorious "Special Higher Police" and the "Public Order Maintenance Law" before World War II.

The "Special Higher Police" is an abbreviation for "Special High Police." This organization was a secret agency used by the pre-war Japanese government to suppress domestic social movements and implement ideological control. The "Public Order Maintenance Law" was the legal basis for the activities of the "Special Higher Police," established in 1925, initially used to suppress anti-war individuals, labor movements, and leftist scholars, and later expanded its targets to encompass the entire populace.

The Japanese "Tokyo Shimbun" had previously issued warnings that during the pre-war and wartime periods, military police and the "Special Higher Police" monitored the public and suppressed anti-war individuals. Previous Japanese governments have promoted a series of laws involving the surveillance of the public, and once Takaichi completes the establishment of the "National Intelligence Agency," "Foreign Intelligence Bureau," and the formulation of the "Anti-espionage Law," the Japanese government's surveillance of the public will undoubtedly escalate further.

The Japanese "Kyoto News" stated in an editorial that the "Public Order Maintenance Law" of that time labeled dissenting Japanese as "non-nationals," and the planned "Anti-espionage Law" may lead Japan to repeat the mistakes of history.

Since Takaichi took office, there has been an accelerated push for military expansion, with the ruling party openly advocating for amending the constitution's Article 9, which renounces the right to wage war and prohibits maintaining military forces, and promoting discussions on constitutional amendments in the Diet, with Takaichi herself expressing a willingness to amend the constitution multiple times.

Chen Jingjing pointed out that as the dominance of Japan's intelligence system becomes highly centralized under the Prime Minister, Japan's security decision-making will become more "unified" and "secretive." This will weaken the checks and balances of the Diet and public opinion, further allowing Japan's right-wing forces to pursue constitutional amendments without restraint.

Analysts note that the Takaichi administration's push for intelligence system reform and the strengthening of domestic and foreign intelligence capabilities is, on one hand, to support the enhancement of Japan's military strength, and on the other hand, to break free from the constraints of the post-war system, once again exposing its sinister intentions to accelerate "re-militarization" under the guise of becoming a "normal country."