Japan Plans Spy Agency Modeled after MI6

Japan wants a spy agency again as it sees its citizen at risk overseas.

The Japanese intelligence service has been removed after World War II. Now Japan wants to establish a new international spy agency modeled after UK’s MI6 reports Reuters. Prime Minister Shinzo Abe aims at changing the pacifist constitution in the light of the killing of two Japanese citizens by ISIS.

“To become a ‘normal country’, an intelligence agency is vital,” said Takushoku University professor Takashi Kawakami.

Japan has currently no coherent intelligence service. The activities are split across many departments and are not centralized. Japan needs to connect with what is happening overseas in terrorist networks to better protect its people. Japan will likely seek partnerships with other secret service agencies to establish their own operations.

Japan had an infamous secret service that was comparable with Gestapo in Nazi Germany. The “Kempeitai” was active from 1881 to 1945. The service was operating worldwide before and during the war including undercover activities in the United States and Mexico. Wikipedia has an overview of the Kempeitai here.

In an era where most intelligence gathering is done through hacking and internet data surveillance, Japan is will have to focus on building up a Cyber intelligence competence first to catch up with the CIA and MI6.

Will the next Bond be Japanese?