On July 31, a new national intelligence apparatus began operating in Tokyo.

Established by the government of Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, the National Intelligence Bureau (NIB) serves as the executive arm of the newly established National Intelligence Council, chaired by the prime minister. Japanese media have described it as a "Japanese CIA."

The intelligence overhaul is seen as a key step in Japan's efforts to strengthen its intelligence capabilities and further break from its postwar security framework. It has also raised concerns over whether Japan could be reviving the specter of the notorious Tokko, or Special Higher Police, which was infamous for suppressing dissent and enforcing ideological control before and during World War II.

Seeking closer ties with Western intelligence networks

At 10:30 a.m. on July 31, Takaichi, Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara and other cabinet ministers attended the first meeting of the National Intelligence Council at the Prime Minister's Office. The NIB was formally established the same day.

Analysts say Japan's goal goes beyond simply collecting intelligence for itself. With strengths in signals intelligence, electronic surveillance and its strategic geographic position, Japan is seeking to become a more valuable intelligence partner to Western countries and potentially deepen its cooperation with the Five Eyes intelligence-sharing network.

The New York Times reported that Japanese leaders had privately consulted allies, including the United States, Australia and Germany, on technology, staffing and priorities for the new intelligence system in recent months.

A centralized intelligence system takes shape

Takaichi's push to strengthen intelligence capabilities has been underway for months.

In March, the government submitted legislation to establish an intelligence framework centered on the National Intelligence Council, with the NIB as its operational arm. Both chambers of parliament passed the legislation in less than 70 days.

The government is expected to pursue further measures, including anti-espionage legislation, an external intelligence agency and Japan's first National Intelligence Strategy.

Critics fear the measures could further concentrate intelligence powers and weaken safeguards established under Japan's postwar system to prevent excessive concentration of state power.

Echoes of the Tokko raise concerns

Japan's intelligence expansion has historically accompanied its overseas military aggression. Before the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, Japanese intelligence gathered information on weather, terrain, and the deployment of US aircraft and naval vessels.

After Japan's defeat, its intelligence system was deliberately fragmented in part to prevent a return to wartime militarism.

The Tokko was a security organization responsible for political surveillance and suppressing social movements and anti-war voices. The creation of the NIB has therefore prompted concerns over whether intelligence powers could become excessively concentrated.

The Times has highlighted the challenge of preventing the new agency from repeating abuses associated with prewar security institutions. The Week has pointed to concerns over domestic political interference, expanded state surveillance and the potential use of intelligence agencies for partisan interests.

Analysts have also noted similarities between the NIB and the Tokko, particularly the concentration of intelligence under a limited number of decision-makers and the simultaneous strengthening of domestic surveillance and overseas intelligence gathering.

Al Jazeera has described the move as another indication that Japan is moving further away from the security framework established after World War II.

The Washington Post has also characterized the establishment of the NIB as a major expansion of Japan’s security powers, coming after the government increased defense spending and moved to ease restrictions on lethal weapons exports.

China's Ministry of National Defense spokesperson Jiang Bin said on July 30 that Japan was using so-called security threats as a pretext to push the centralized and militarized transformation of its intelligence institutions.

Jiang said the moves are closely linked to Japan's military buildup and arms expansion, effectively creating an intelligence system designed to serve military expansion and war preparations and posing a major risk to peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific and beyond.