Japan admits growing need to counter espionage after Russia 'den of spies' report

Japan has said it recognises the need to better counter foreign intelligence activities after the New York Times reported that Russia has turned the country into a "den of spies" and a key source of weapons components.

Chief government spokesperson Minoru Kihara said on Monday that in a rapidly changing security environment there is a growing need to counter foreign intelligence activities that threaten Japan's national security. He declined to comment directly on the NYT's report but told reporters that Tokyo must address the issue with even greater rigour.

Kihara added that Japan's parliament this year approved legislation paving the way for a new national body to coordinate its fragmented intelligence activities.

The NYT investigation, published on Sunday, reported that due to "weak espionage laws", Moscow is using Japan as a key hub for intelligence gathering and procurement of dual-use technology needed for its war in Ukraine. The report cited Ukrainian government estimates that 90% of Russian missiles and drones contain Japanese components.

It alleged that Russia's operations in Japan are being run by a Russian intelligence operative working undercover at the Tokyo office of majority state-owned Russian airline Aeroflot. Because direct exports to Russia are restricted, procurement networks use intermediary companies and third countries like Vietnam, Uzbekistan and Sri Lanka to move components into Russia.

The report noted that hundreds of Russian spies were expelled by Western countries when the full-scale invasion of Ukraine began in 2022, and many ended up in Japan to take advantage of its flourishing tech industry and weak espionage laws, partly due to constraints imposed after World War II.

"We have a sense of crisis about this situation," Akihisa Shiozaki, a lawmaker in the governing Liberal Democratic Party and a former lawyer who prosecuted industrial espionage cases, told the NYT.