Japan has taken further steps to strengthen its security apparatus and military capabilities, with the government establishing a new national intelligence agency and conducting its first test launch of a long-range cruise missile, moves that have sparked concerns over the country's accelerating military buildup.

On Friday, the Japanese government officially established the National Intelligence Bureau aimed at enhancing the country's intelligence-gathering capabilities. Hara Kazuya was appointed as the head of the new intelligence agency.

Meanwhile, according to Japan's Ministry of Defense, the country's Self-Defense Forces conducted a test launch of the US-made Tomahawk cruise missile in the Pacific Ocean on July 28, marking Japan's first such test.

The Tomahawk is a subsonic long-range cruise missile typically launched from naval vessels and submarines. Designed mainly for naval deployment, it also has land-based variants, with a maximum range exceeding 2,000 kilometers.

Experts said Japan's recent moves, including strengthening its intelligence capabilities and accelerating the development and deployment of offensive weapons, indicate that the country's postwar principle of "exclusive defense-oriented policy" is increasingly being eroded.

Wang Guangtao, an associate researcher at the Center for Japanese Studies at Fudan University, criticized the establishment of the the intelligence bureau, saying the move would further reinforce a "Prime Minister's Office-led" vertical chain of command, concentrating power while lacking sufficient oversight.

"Japan had a similar vertically structured intelligence system before World War II, which was deeply intertwined with its militarism and overseas aggression," said Wang, adding that "The revival of such an intelligence agency inevitably reminds people of wartime Japan's high-pressure intelligence management system and its suppression of individual freedom of expression."

Cai Liang, a researcher at Shanghai Institutes for International Studies, said Japan's efforts to build a centralized intelligence system and strengthen the prime minister-led command structure represent a departure from the constraints of the postwar pacifist framework and could continue to disrupt regional security.

"Japan's intelligence system has moved beyond the traditional defensive framework and is being integrated with national security strategies, providing proactive intelligence support for the development of the Self-Defense Forces' counterstrike capabilities and the expansion of military boundaries," Cai said.

He added that intelligence reform has become a key step in Japan's push to break away from postwar restrictions and build an "intelligence-driven military." Japan's proactive expansion of its intelligence strategy could continue to affect the regional security landscape and deserves close attention, he said.

Japan's recent moves have not only raised nerves among neighboring countries, but have also intensified domestic public concerns over the country's growing military ambitions.

Since the House of Representatives election in February, Japan's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has used its majority in the lower house to advance a series of security-related legislation, including the act establishing the new intelligence body, despite resistance from opposition parties and criticism from parts of society.

The LDP has also called for increased defense spending as part of its proposal to revise Japan's three key security documents later this year, paving the way for further expansion of the country's defense capabilities.

Japan this year has seen a number of protests, during which demonstrators criticized a series of dangerous policies and bills promoted by Sanae Takaichi's government.

Some protesters accused the government of ignoring public concerns and warned that the current administration is gradually pushing Japan toward war. Others expressed concern that the new intelligence agency could lead to expanded collection of citizens' personal information, threatening privacy and freedom of speech.