Japan is weighing a "Japanese CIA." A 17-member expert panel convened by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi held its first meeting on September 28, 2026 to examine sweeping intelligence reforms — including the creation of a full-fledged foreign intelligence agency modeled on the US Central Intelligence Agency. It is the boldest step yet in Japan's effort to end its postwar reputation as a "spy paradise."
What the new panel will decide
The expert panel — drawn from academia, media, business, and government, according to Anadolu reporting — is tasked with drafting Japan's first-ever national intelligence strategy and recommending further reforms. The most ambitious proposal on its agenda: a dedicated foreign intelligence agency with the CIA's overseas collection capabilities. A separate CIA-like body remains a future objective; Tokyo has strengthened coordination but has not yet launched a fully operational agency with the CIA's foreign reach.
The bureau that's already running
The groundwork was laid on July 31, 2026, when Japan launched the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) — the country's first centralized foreign intelligence body since World War II. The 730-person bureau replaced the Cabinet Intelligence and Research Office, with former Cabinet intelligence director Kazuya Hara as its first director-general. Above it sits the National Intelligence Council, chaired by the prime minister herself, which sets intelligence priorities and brings senior ministers into the process.
Why Japan is doing this now
For decades, Japan's intelligence was deliberately fragmented across the Cabinet Office, Foreign Ministry, Defense Ministry, National Police Agency, and Ministry of Justice — agencies that, by expert accounts, rarely shared information in any strategically useful way. Former Soviet intelligence officers called Japan a "spy paradise," where foreign operatives could work commercial cover without technically breaking Japanese law.
The tipping point came when a New York Times investigation documented that a classified Russian GRU military-intelligence unit had run a missile-parts procurement network out of a Tokyo high-rise office for at least 17 months. Takaichi has framed reform around threats beyond military secrets: cyberattacks, the theft of advanced technology, and disinformation campaigns — including AI-driven "cognitive warfare" that Japan's planners now rank as a top concern.
Critics warn of privacy risks
The reforms have drawn scrutiny. Some opposition lawmakers question whether the new intelligence bodies can remain politically neutral, and warn that future laws could affect privacy and civil liberties. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party has also proposed penalties for foreign influence operations, expanded communications interception powers, and a foreign agents registration system for people lobbying on behalf of foreign governments. A counterespionage bill could go before the Diet's regular session next year.
The takeaway: Japan's spy apparatus is being rebuilt from the ground up. The National Intelligence Bureau coordinates what agencies know today; the September 28 expert panel will decide whether Tokyo gets the offensive, foreign-intelligence arm it has lacked since 1945. Washington — Japan's closest ally, with some 55,000 troops hosted on Japanese soil — will be watching closely.
Sources: Center for Strategic and International Studies; International News and Views; Tech Times; StratNews Global.