Updated
Updated · The Sunday Guardian · Jul 13
Japan Plans 700-Member Intelligence Bureau by December 2026 as US, Germany and Australia Advise
Updated
Updated · The Sunday Guardian · Jul 13

Japan Plans 700-Member Intelligence Bureau by December 2026 as US, Germany and Australia Advise

3 articles · Updated · The Sunday Guardian · Jul 13

Summary

  • Tokyo said the new National Intelligence Bureau will be based in the capital, employ about 700 people and become operational in December 2026.
  • Japan is replacing its long-fragmented intelligence system with a centralized model to counter cyber theft of classified information, disinformation campaigns and other foreign operations.
  • The US, Germany and Australia are helping shape the agency — advising on cyber defenses, industrial espionage, foreign-investment scrutiny, intelligence sharing and interagency coordination.
  • Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi will also oversee a separate Intelligence Council command center as Japan responds to security pressure from North Korea, China and Russia.

Insights

As Japan launches its first central spy agency since WWII, is its post-war pacifist identity now a relic of the past?
With Russian missiles using its tech, can Japan's new spy agency stop critical components from reaching its adversaries?