Japan’s intelligence reboot slammed

The establishment of Japan's National Intelligence Bureau, or NIB, is another negative move in Tokyo's domestic and foreign security policies, China's Foreign Ministry said on Friday, with the ministry urging Japanese lawmakers to learn lessons from history and act prudently.

Japan launched the bureau on Friday, marking the establishment of the country's first centralized national intelligence system since World War II.

Looking back, Japan's intelligence community paved the way for the country to fully advance militarism and launch wars of aggression, which led to innumerable crimes against its Asian neighbors and Japan's own people, said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning.

Recently, Japan has been accelerating remilitarization under the pretext of so-called "national security" and "external threats", which put regional peace and stability at risk and raise widespread concerns across the international community, Mao said at a daily news briefing in Beijing.

Along with the launch of the NIB, the newly established National Intelligence Council, or NIC, chaired by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, convened its inaugural meeting on Friday.

Both bodies were established under legislation passed by Japan's parliament in May as part of the Takaichi government's intelligence reforms, which the government said are intended to strengthen Japan's intelligence capabilities in response to increasingly complex overseas security threats.

At a regular news conference in Tokyo on Friday, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said that the NIC is the central command body for Japan's intelligence activities. Comprising nine other Cabinet ministers, it is chaired by Takaichi.

The NIC is also expected to discuss the formulation of Japan's first National Intelligence Strategy and establish an expert panel to deliberate on new counterespionage legislation.

Meanwhile, the newly established NIB will coordinate intelligence gathered by Japan's National Police Agency, or NPA, its Foreign Ministry and Defense Ministry. The NIB also has the authority to require relevant government agencies to share intelligence.

Kazuya Hara, who has served as director of Japanese Cabinet intelligence since June 2023, assumed the post of NIB director. He previously held senior positions at the NPA, including head of its Security Bureau, and served as an executive secretary to then-prime minister Shinzo Abe.

According to news portal Nikkei, Japan's efforts to strengthen its intelligence system have also drawn concerns from some opposition lawmakers, who questioned whether the newly established NIB and NIC could remain politically neutral, and warned that proposed counterespionage legislation could infringe on citizens' right to privacy.

Since the Japanese government began pursuing reforms to strengthen its intelligence capabilities, protesters have staged multiple rallies in Tokyo against the move.

Critics said that the establishment of the new intelligence bodies and subsequent measures are part of Japan's broader remilitarization agenda, and have called on the government to halt its military buildup and focus on improving people's livelihoods.

Japanese lawyer Kazuhito Fukuyama has called for the repeal of the legislation establishing the NIC, describing it as "a deeply flawed law that has utterly failed to learn the lessons of World War II".

During and before World War II, Japan's Special Higher Police — known as Tokko — and military police organizations actively suppressed anti-government movements and civil society groups.

Fukuyama said that a system led by the prime minister and Cabinet members risks becoming politicized and could evolve into a command center for suppressing dissent.

Ogawa, an organizer of a series of protests held near Japan's parliament, argued that the NIB — together with possible future measures such as a Foreign Agents Act and an overseas intelligence agency — are part of Japan's broader push toward remilitarization.

He criticized the government for pressing ahead with a rapid military buildup despite failing to curb soaring prices and ease the burden on people's livelihoods, arguing that such policies were no different from those pursued during Imperial Japanese militarism.

Since taking office, the Takaichi government has accelerated its efforts to strengthen Japan's offensive military capabilities, moving even further beyond the country's long-standing, exclusively defense-oriented policy.

Japan's Defense Ministry said on Thursday that one of the Maritime Self-Defense Force's Aegis-equipped destroyers had recently conducted the country's first live-fire test of a Tomahawk cruise missile.

According to the ministry, the United States-made Tomahawk is a key component of Japan's effort to develop what the government calls "counterstrike capabilities". The missile has a range of about 1,600 kilometers.

In March, the Defense Ministry also began deploying extended-range missiles at Japan Ground Self-Defense Force bases in Kumamoto and Shizuoka prefectures as part of efforts to enhance the country's "counterstrike capabilities", which marks a significant shift away from its exclusively defense-oriented policy under its pacifist constitution.

Contact the writers at houjunjie@chinadaily.com.cn