Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, who serves concurrently as leader of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party, delivers a speech during the party's convention in Tokyo in April. | REUTERS
Japan is undertaking an ambitious effort to build a centralized intelligence agency for the first time since World War II, and it is turning to partners in the West for help.
Japanese leaders have privately approached allies such as the United States, Australia and Germany in recent months for advice on technology, staffing and priorities, according to interviews with officials from Japan and elsewhere. The conversations have not been previously reported.
On Sunday, The New York Times reported that dozens of Russian spies have moved to Japan in recent years, as the country became a key focus of the Kremlin’s effort to buy weapon components, ship them to Russia and evade sanctions. Foreign officials have warned Japan about this effort, but the country has been slow to respond.
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