'Paradise for spies' no more: Japan launches first centralised intelligence body since WWII

Japan launches new centralised intelligence agency Japan has pushed for a sweeping intelligence reform and launched its first centralised intelligence body since World War II. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi pushes for sweeping security reforms in the face of growing regional threats.The National Intelligence Bureau formally launched on Friday, is an upgrade to the Cabinet Intelligence and Research Office, which held little authority. It has now been turned into an operational body that collects and analyses intelligence from various government ministries. Other ministries are now formally required to share their information, according to CNN."This is merely the first step in intelligence reform," Takaichi said on Monday. "As we look at the increasingly unstable global situation, it is imperative that we address new methods of warfare."The bureau will be overseen by the newly formed National Intelligence Council, headed by Takaichi and composed of top ministers. Its scope includes counterterrorism efforts, national emergency response, and countermeasures against foreign intelligence such as spy activity or covert influence operations.Japan has long been considered an intelligence wea...