The Japanese House of Councillors passed a bill to establish a “National Intelligence Conference” in a plenary session on May 27. The bill, pushed by the government of Takaichi Sanae, aims to consolidate and strengthen intelligence capabilities and had previously been approved by the House of Representatives. The relevant legislation has continued to spark concerns across Japanese society.
Separately, on the 26th local time, the Cabinet Committee of the House of Councillors approved a related bill to establish a “National Intelligence Bureau.”
Under the legislation, Japan plans to build an intelligence system with the “National Intelligence Conference” at its core and the “National Intelligence Bureau” as its executive body, responsible for coordinating intelligence activities in areas such as security, counter-terrorism, and “foreign intelligence operations” involving foreign spies.
One month earlier, on April 23, under strong pressure from the Takaichi government, the House of Representatives passed a bill proposing the creation of a “National Intelligence Conference” and a “National Intelligence Bureau,” marking the first attempt to build a national-level integrated intelligence system since the end of World War II.
According to Japanese media reports, the “National Intelligence Conference” will be chaired by the prime minister and include members such as the chief cabinet secretary, the foreign minister, and the defense minister. The “National Intelligence Bureau” will be granted comprehensive coordination authority over the intelligence work of various government ministries and agencies.
In response, as reported by Xinhua News Agency, some Japanese media and netizens have exclaimed in alarm: Is the historical nightmare of the “Tokko” (Tokubetsu Kōtō Keisatsu) about to be repeated?
“Tokko” is the abbreviation for “Special Higher Police.” The “Tokko” was once a special police unit responsible for suppressing domestic social movements and conducting ideological surveillance in Japan. The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department first established a “Special Higher Section” in August 1911, which was later upgraded to the “Special Higher Police Division,” and other local police departments subsequently set up their own “Tokko” units.
Before and during World War II, the “Tokko” employed brutal and oppressive tactics within Japan. Media outlets such as the Kyoto Shimbun and the Ryukyu Shimpo have warned that before the war, Japan strengthened the powers of its intelligence agencies under the pretext of “protecting the national polity,” and the military police and “Tokko” closely monitored citizens while suppressing anti-war voices, urging Japan not to forget the historical lesson of unchecked power run amok.
On April 30, Senior Colonel Zhang Xiaogang, spokesperson for China’s Ministry of National Defense, stated in response to a reporter’s question that Japan’s recent dangerous, reckless, probing, and provocative moves in the military security field have long exposed its self-portrayal as a “peaceful nation” committed to “exclusively defense-oriented policy.”
Moreover, Japan’s attempt to revive nomenclature from the old Imperial Japanese military’s rank system and its plan to establish a national intelligence agency evoke memories of the notorious “Tokko,” deeply hurting the feelings of people in Asian countries.
As Japan accelerates precipitously down the path of “re-militarization,” is it poised to become a source of calamity for East Asia once again? All peace-loving people must remain highly vigilant, resolutely thwart Japan’s retrogressive actions, and must not allow it to undermine peace and bring harm to the world.
Editor: CA
