Why Japan is building first central intelligence agency after 80 years

Japan is reportedly building a new central intelligence agency for the first time since World War II with the help of allies from the West.

According to reports, Japanese officials have quietly approached the United States, Germany and Australia to seek advice on the spy agency, including the technology, staffing and intelligence-sharing priorities.

The Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi has taken this major initiative to strengthen the country's national security against espionage, growing cyberattacks and foreign influence operations.

This intelligence agency would mark a significant shift in Japan’s national strategy by making it centralized. Since WWII, the country had never built a spy agency and the responsibilities related to national security were distributed between the police, foreign and defence ministries.

The distribution of power among various branches have left the country vulnerable to various espionage and cyber attacks carried out by rogue actors, as explained by the security experts.

Moreover, Japan is also swarming with dozens of Russian spies as reported by The New York Times. The motive behind this is Russia's effort to bypass international sanctions and obtain weapons. Despite receiving warnings from foreign officials, Japan has not taken any concrete steps.

Moreover, the regional geopolitical tensions are also pushing Japan toward establishing a spy agency to tackle the growing assertive influence of China and North Korea.

Japan also revised its decades-old pacifist defense policy by relaxing the restrictions on its arms exports, aiming to diversify its weapons base in a policy shift and boost the country’s security.

As per reports, the agency will be operationalized by December with a budget of around $407 million. The initial staff is expected to consist of hundreds of people belonging to software engineering and cybersecurity professions and overseas liaison officers.

“This is a giant step in the direction of having a fully integrated and robust intelligence community,” said Richard Samuels, a professor of political science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.