By Xing Yanru
On May 8, the bill to establish a national intelligence bureau, promoted by the cabinet of Sanae Takaichi, formally entered deliberation at a plenary session of Japan's House of Councilors. At the same time, the Japanese government has made clear its plan to establish by the end of 2027 a foreign intelligence agency specifically targeting overseas operations. This series of moves, together with Japan's recent dangerous shifts such as denying its history of aggression, seeking to revise the pacifist Constitution, and increasing military spending, clearly shows that Japan is returning to the old militarist path of putting intelligence work first.
In terms of functions and authority, the shift is from "decentralization" to "centralization." Japan's existing intelligence system is relatively fragmented, with bodies such as the Cabinet Intelligence and Research Office, the Public Security Intelligence Agency, and the National Police Agency operating separately and providing a certain degree of checks and balances. The newly established national intelligence bureau, however, will serve as the command center for intelligence collection and analysis. It will not only hold comprehensive coordinating authority over intelligence work across government departments and be able to compel ministries and agencies to provide intelligence, but will also report directly to the prime minister. The national intelligence council, chaired by the prime minister, will serve as the highest decision-making body, thereby achieving a high concentration of intelligence power.
In terms of strategic focus, the shift is from "defense" to "offense." Existing institutions are regarded by Japan's right wing as inefficient. The Public Security Intelligence Agency, for example, is limited to domestic operations, and the means available to it are largely confined to administrative investigations. The newly established national intelligence bureau, however, will be granted unprecedented powers, enabling it to legally carry out surveillance, investigations, and intelligence collection. Combined with the Japanese government's plan to establish a training institution for foreign intelligence personnel, this shows that Japan not only intends to monitor domestic public opinion and indoctrinate right-wing ideology at home, but is also extending its intelligence reach overseas, with neighboring countries as key targets, in preparation for breaking through the "exclusively defense-oriented" principle and carrying out military adventurism. Its strategic ambition is unmistakable.
In terms of its global role, Japan is shifting from being an "extra member" of the Five Eyes alliance to seeking independent action. In the past, relying on its geographic position in East Asia and extensive networks, Japan gradually established intelligence-sharing mechanisms with members of the Five Eyes alliance and willingly served as the intelligence outpost of the US and the West in the Asia-Pacific. However, limitations in its own intelligence system prevented it from going further. Now, by establishing a national intelligence bureau modeled after the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the UK Secret Intelligence Service, Japan is gaining an unprecedented degree of independence at the tactical level. It will no longer need to rely on US intelligence support, but will be able to independently recruit and train agents, as well as plan and carry out human intelligence infiltration operations on its own.
Many Chinese and foreign media outlets have compared Japan's newly established national intelligence bureau to the Tokko (Special Higher Police), which played an evil and dangerous role in Japan's history of aggression. This comparison is far from groundless.
In terms of functional scope, both cover two major areas: domestic suppression and external infiltration. Domestically, the Tokko created political atrocities such as the March 15 Incident to suppress progressive forces; externally, it planned the Huanggutun Incident and the September 18 Incident, while carrying out white terror in occupied areas. The new national intelligence bureau likewise covers domestic ideological control and foreign intelligence collection, with powers far exceeding those of any Japanese intelligence institution in the postwar period.
In terms of political purpose, the two are essentially the same. The Tokko served militarist expansion and authoritarian rule, while the national intelligence bureau serves political goals such as constitutional revision, military expansion, breaking free from the postwar system, and reviving militarism. At their core, both are tools for maintaining right-wing authoritarianism and advancing external aggression.
From a historical perspective, the centralization of intelligence has always been the prelude to military expansion. In history, every stage of Japanese militarist expansion abroad was preceded by large-scale and systematic intelligence operations. From the First Sino-Japanese War (1894-1895) to the war of aggression against China, Japan established dense networks of spy agencies across China, the Korean Peninsula, and Southeast Asia. Large numbers of rigorously trained agents operated under the cover of businessmen, scholars, monks, and other identities, drawing detailed maps, infiltrating and bribing collaborators, and planning separatist activities. This shows that Japan's intelligence system has always been one of the most insidious and premeditated components of its old militarist path.
Editor's note: Originally published on china.com, this article is translated from Chinese into English and edited by the China Military Online. The information and opinions in this article do not necessarily reflect the views of eng.chinamil.com.cn.