Tokyo Finally Moves to Create a Spy Agency, With Washington, Berlin and Canberra Lending a Hand Japan is building its first centralised intelligence agency since World War II to counter growing espionage threats from Russia, China and North Korea, with the US, Germany and Australia helping shape it, while India's RAW offers a template for how such an agency can evolve over decades. Japan is preparing to stand up its first centralised intelligence agency since the end of World War II, a move that would end nearly eight decades of relying on scattered military, police and diplomatic channels to gather information on threats from abroad. A rare shift, eight decades in the making For most of the post-war era, Japan chose not to have one national body dedicated to intelligence gathering. That is now changing. Tokyo is actively working on setting up its first centralised intelligence agency since World War II, driven largely by mounting security concerns tied to China, Russia and North Korea. Talks with allied nations have already begun, and they are focused on practical questions, what technology the new agency will need, how it will recruit staff, and how the organisation itself should be structured and run. The Russian spy problem Tokyo can't ignore One of the biggest triggers behind this push is Russia's expanding espionage footprint inside Japan. Dozens of Russian intelligence operatives who were expelled from countries across Europe and North America after the war in Ukraine began have since relocated to Japan. These operatives are trying to obtain advanced technology and weapon components for Russia's military, while also helping Moscow find ways around Western sanctions. Japan's advanced technology sector, combined with a comparatively weak counter-intelligence framework, has made the country a soft and attractive target for this kind of espionage. A Russian military intelligence unit known as the 20th Directorate has reportedly been operating out of Tokyo, with its agents allegedly posing as businessmen or diplomats to strike commercial deals and quietly acquire technology that could later be diverted to Russia for military purposes. Why Japan resisted having one for so long For decades, Japan's approach to intelligence has been deliberately fragmented. The military, the police, diplomats and other government bodies each collected their own information, but no single organisation existed to pull all of it together into one coherent picture. This fragmented system has made Japan more vulnerable to espionage and foreign interference, since no single agency has had a complete view of the threats facing the country. Col JS Sodhi, an Indian Army veteran and defence analyst, explains that Japan's hesitation stems from its post-World War II history, when there were concerns that a powerful intelligence agency could weaken democratic oversight and go against the country's peaceful post-war principles. Those concerns trace back to memories of Tokko, Imperial Japan's secret police, which was used to monitor and suppress critics before World War II. That historical baggage is a big part of why Japan waited this long to even consider a centralised spy agency. The allies stepping in to help build it Japan is not building this new agency in isolation. Some of its closest security partners are directly shaping the plan. The United States has shared expertise on cyber defence, on tackling industrial espionage, and on tightening checks around foreign investments and suspected foreign operatives inside Japan. Germany has also stepped in, with the head of its foreign intelligence agency, the BND, travelling to Tokyo recently to discuss the proposed agency and ways to strengthen intelligence-sharing between the two countries. Australia, meanwhile, has advised Japan on technology and on how different government departments can work together more effectively while improving the flow of shared intelligence. What it actually takes to stand up a spy agency Setting up an intelligence agency is far more involved than simply recruiting spies. Experts point out that it typically takes years to build an organisation capable of collecting, analysing and acting on intelligence effectively, and the obstacles along the way are substantial. The first challenge is people. Intelligence agencies need highly trained officers, language experts, cyber specialists, analysts and undercover operatives, and finding individuals with the right skills who can also clear rigorous security vetting is one of the hardest parts of the process. Col Sodhi points to funding as the second major hurdle. Intelligence gathering is a complex, resource-intensive process that demands sustained investment in technology, operations and personnel over the long term. If Japan is willing to commit adequate financial support, he says, its new intelligence agency has the potential to become highly effective. Beyond people and money, a new agency must also guard against espionage from rival countries as well as threats from within its own ranks, since a weak counter-intelligence system can expose operations and burn sources. Coordination is another major hurdle, since military, police, cyber, diplomatic and financial intelligence typically sit in separate departments, and getting them to share information quickly and act as a single system is genuinely difficult. Modern espionage increasingly targets areas like artificial intelligence, semiconductors, cyber networks and critical infrastructure, which means any new agency needs advanced surveillance, cyber-defence and data-analysis capabilities just to keep pace. There is also a legal balancing act, intelligence agencies need broad powers to operate secretly, but they also require oversight to prevent abuse, and democracies in particular have to strike a careful balance between national security and civil liberties. Finally, none of this works in isolation. Modern intelligence work depends heavily on international cooperation, and countries need trusted relationships with allies to exchange information, run joint operations and respond together to shared threats, which is exactly the kind of support the US, Germany and Australia are currently offering Japan. The ingredients of a successful intelligence service According to experts, a strong intelligence agency ultimately depends on three things, gathering reliable information, analysing it without political bias, and being able to operate independently. Its real measure of success lies in spotting threats early and helping prevent security risks before they materialise. Col Sodhi adds that the key pillars of an effective agency are skilled analysts, a healthy mix of human and technical intelligence, strong protection of sources, and recruiting people who bring the right language, cultural and technological expertise to the table. What India's RAW can teach Japan India offers one useful case study for how a country builds an intelligence agency from a standing start. India set up the Research and Analysis Wing, RAW, on 21 September 1968, following hard security lessons learned from the 1962 India-China War and the 1965 India-Pakistan War. The goal was to create a dedicated foreign intelligence agency focused specifically on gathering information from outside the country and protecting India's national security. RAW functions under the Cabinet Secretariat and is headed by the Secretary (Research), who reports directly to the Prime Minister. The agency draws its officers from the Research and Analysis Service, along with personnel on deputation from the Indian Police Service and other security forces. Over the decades, RAW has built up a mix of human intelligence, cyber intelligence and satellite surveillance capabilities to keep watch on foreign governments, terrorist organisations and regional developments. It is supported by specialised bodies such as the Aviation Research Centre for aerial surveillance and the National Technical Research Organisation for technical intelligence work. RAW's operations remain highly secretive, with very little public information available about its budget or day-to-day functioning. Its officers go through specialised training in foreign languages, espionage techniques and intelligence analysis. Over the years, the agency has played key roles in the 1971 India-Pakistan War, the integration of Sikkim in 1975, and the 2019 Balakot surgical strike, and it continues to monitor Khalistani and other terrorist networks today. For Japan, now attempting something similar from scratch, RAW's decades-long evolution, from a lean post-war response to a sprawling, multi-domain agency, offers a real-world template of how patience, sustained funding and a clear chain of command can turn a fledgling intelligence service into a lasting institution. What this means for you • For competitive exam aspirants: RAW's formation date, founding wars, structure and key operations covered here are exactly the kind of general knowledge and current affairs facts asked in UPSC and other government exams. • For those tracking regional security: A stronger, centralised Japanese intelligence agency could change how quickly Tokyo shares threat information with partners, which matters for anyone following India-Japan and broader Indo-Pacific security cooperation. Questions & Answers 1. Why is Japan building its first intelligence agency now? Japan is setting up its first centralised intelligence agency in nearly 80 years to counter growing security threats from China, Russia and North Korea, driven largely by Russia's expanding spy activity inside the country. 2. Why didn't Japan have a centralised intelligence agency until now? Japan's intelligence responsibilities stayed split across the military, police and diplomats for decades, and memories of Tokko, the wartime secret police, made the country wary of building one powerful agency. 3. What is Russia's 20th Directorate? It is a Russian military intelligence unit that has reportedly been operating out of Tokyo, with agents allegedly posing as businessmen or diplomats to acquire technology. 4. Which countries are helping Japan build its new agency? The US is helping with cyber defence and countering industrial espionage, Germany is deepening cooperation through its BND intelligence agency, and Australia is advising on technology and inter-departmental coordination. 5. When and why was India's RAW set up? India set up RAW on 21 September 1968, after security lessons from the 1962 India-China War and the 1965 India-Pakistan War. 6. Who does RAW report to? RAW functions under the Cabinet Secretariat and is headed by the Secretary (Research), who reports directly to the Prime Minister. 7. What are the biggest challenges in setting up a new intelligence agency? Recruiting trained, security-cleared officers, securing sustained funding, coordinating separate departments and protecting against espionage and insider threats are among the toughest challenges. 8. What makes an intelligence agency successful? Gathering reliable information, analysing it without political bias, operating independently, and having skilled analysts and well-protected sources are seen as the hallmarks of a successful intelligence agency. https://trendkia.com/en/investigations/japan-aba-bana-raha-hai-apani-pahali-khuphiya-ejensi-madada-ke-lie-age-ae-us-germany-aura-australia-7786 TrendKia — Har trend, sabse pehle.