"Let's Allow What the US and China Do Too" Japan Considers Fake Passports for Overseas Intelligence Agents

Takaichi: "Introduction of Undercover Identities Is One of the Issues to Be Studied"

National Intelligence Agency Could Launch as Early as July

The Japanese government is considering a plan to provide intelligence agents operating overseas with false identities, such as fake passports.

On May 9, the Sankei Shimbun reported this development, citing multiple government and ruling party officials. According to the newspaper, the Japanese government, which plans to establish an External Intelligence Agency by the end of next year, is reviewing measures to allow intelligence gathering agents to use false identities when operating abroad in order to ensure their safety. The introduction of undercover identities is expected to be discussed by the National Intelligence Council, which will be launched this July as the command center of national intelligence activities.

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. Photo by Yonhap News

Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi stated, in relation to the bill establishing the National Intelligence Council, that the introduction of false identities for intelligence agents is "one of the issues that needs to be studied" during the first deliberation held by the House of Councillors (the upper house) the previous day.

The Sankei Shimbun explained that false identities for intelligence agents are already used in countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, China, and Russia.

Strengthening national intelligence gathering activities is one of Prime Minister Takaichi's key policies. In connection with this, the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition partner, Nippon Ishin no Kai, agreed in October last year, when they formed the coalition, to strengthen intelligence gathering activities. Their agreement includes the establishment of the National Intelligence Agency, the enactment of an anti-espionage law, and the creation of the External Intelligence Agency.

The National Intelligence Agency is referred to as "Japan's version of the CIA." As Japan does not have an intelligence agency like Korea's National Intelligence Service, the plan is to create the National Intelligence Council—chaired by the Prime Minister and composed of nine cabinet members, including the Chairperson of the National Public Safety Commission, the Chief Cabinet Secretary, the Minister of Justice, and the Minister for Foreign Affairs—to serve as the command center for national intelligence gathering activities. The National Intelligence Agency, which will function as the secretariat of the Council, will be able to request information collected by agencies such as the Cabinet Intelligence and Research Office, the National Police Agency, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Public Security Intelligence Agency, and is expected to play a central role in national intelligence gathering.

The National Intelligence Agency will initially launch as early as this July with approximately 700 personnel, making it equivalent in scale to the Cabinet Intelligence and Research Office, which is directly under the Prime Minister, and plans to further increase staff numbers. Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara recently stated in an interview with Japanese media that, with the establishment of the National Intelligence Agency, greater emphasis will be placed on nurturing specialized talent responsible for intelligence gathering and analysis.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.