Japan Launches National Intelligence Agency Amid Spy Concerns

Japan plans to hold the inaugural meeting of its National Intelligence Council on 31 July, marking the first concrete step in a broader intelligence reform. The reform aims to create a “Japan‑style CIA,” called the National Intelligence Agency, to coordinate counter‑espionage and strategic analysis.

Professor Kotaro Ochiai of Tokyo University of Science, who has studied Japanese espionage for three decades, estimates that roughly a thousand foreign agents operate in Japan, with China, Russia and even the United States among the sources. He warned that without a unified intelligence body, Japan’s ability to detect and counter such activities remains fragmented. The upcoming council meeting follows heightened public interest sparked by the drama series “VIVANT,” which dramatizes a special‑forces unit of the Self‑Defense Forces and has drawn attention to the nation’s spy environment.

Ochiai also highlighted challenges such as the politicisation of intelligence and the need for clear legal frameworks. The new agency is expected to streamline information sharing among existing ministries and improve Japan’s capacity to respond to foreign espionage threats.