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Tag - espionage

 
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July 24, 2026
 

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ESPIONAGE

Toranomon Kotohira Tower in Tokyo, where the office of the Russian state airline Aeroflot is located.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Jul 24, 2026
A Russian spy, suddenly cast into the spotlight, flees Japan
The spy was at the center of a secret operation to smuggle high-tech weapon components into Russia.
Then-U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard (center), FBI Director Kash Patel (left) and CIA Director John Ratcliffe attend a House Intelligence Committee hearing on worldwide threats on Capitol Hill in Washington in March.
COMMENTARY / World
Jul 20, 2026
If the U.S. keeps messing with this spy agency, it¡¯ll pay a high price
Rather than weakening or abolishing the ODNI, the United States needs a stronger, professional and politically independent intelligence leadership.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi will chair a national intelligence council slated to be launched as early as this month.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Politics / FOCUS
Jul 14, 2026
Prime Minister¡¯s Office to lead intelligence efforts in Japan
A new council will be responsible for examining and deliberating on ¡°important intelligence activities,¡± including those linked to national security and terrorism.
Dr. Yufang Rong and her husband, Dr. Youlin Chen, an American seismologist held for nearly two years by China, together in this undated photograph provided on Monday
ASIA PACIFIC
Jul 14, 2026
China detains U.S. seismologist who has studied North Korean nuclear tests
The case of Youlin Chen adds an irritant to the tense relationship between China and the U.S. and comes as U.S. President Donald Trump seeks to keep the relationship steady.
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.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Politics
Jul 13, 2026
Japan is building a new intelligence agency with help from the West
Japanese leaders have privately approached allies such as the United States, Australia and Germany in recent months for advice on technology, staffing and priorities.
Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a meeting with Aeroflot CEO Sergei Aleksandrovsky at the Kremlin in Moscow on April 6.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Politics
Jul 12, 2026
How Putin turned Japan into a den of spies
Japan has long been known as a spy paradise, in part because of post-World War II constraints that keep the country¡¯s intelligence services weak.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's administration aims to enact anti-espionage legislation at an early date.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Jul 10, 2026
LDP to propose allowing warrantless communications interception
The initiative will be a major pillar of anti-espionage legislation that the administration of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi aims to enact soon.
Industrial espionage, chip smuggling and drug trafficking are exposing Japan's growing economic security vulnerabilities.
BUSINESS / FOCUS
Jun 29, 2026
Chinese spies and smuggled drugs fuel Takaichi¡¯s security push
Across a range of industries, Japan¡¯s economic-security vulnerabilities have been on display in a slew of recent incidents.
Mike Burgess, director-general of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, prepares to speak at the agency's headquarters in Canberra on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 25, 2026
Australia¡¯s spy chief warns of rising terror and cyber threats
Mike Burgess, head of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation, has identified extremism and foreign espionage as among the threats his agency is trying to prevent.
Taipei and Beijing ?have long spied on each other, but now a new Taiwanese website encourages Chinese nationals to report intelligence tips through a secure channel.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 14, 2026
Taiwan launches website for Chinese nationals to report intelligence
The website is blocked in China, though many Chinese use VPNs to access other blocked ?sites ?like Western social media and search engines.
U.S. President Donald Trump welcomes Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel to his resort in Palm Beach, Florida, in December.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 7, 2026
Pentagon sees growing espionage threat from Israel
Israel and the U.S. have long known that each was spying on the other but recent Israeli efforts to learn about U.S. positions in talks with Iran may have crossed a line.
Critics argue the selection of Bill Pulte, the director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency, to lead U.S. intelligence reflects a preference for political loyalty over expertise.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 4, 2026
Pulte will drag U.S. intelligence from bad to worse
Pulte, though, appears to be worse. He seems even less qualified for the job than Gabbard (who at least had military experience).
The "Five Eyes" security agencies alliance said in a bulletin ?that China's military intelligence services were using a wide array ?of professional networking ?sites and online recruitment platforms to target people with access to sensitive information.
ASIA PACIFIC
Jun 4, 2026
Five Eyes security alliance warns of Chinese espionage threat
An alliance bulletin ?says China¡¯s military intelligence services have been using networking ?sites and recruitment platforms to target people with access to sensitive information.
Michael Kovrig, a former Canadian diplomat, speaks in an online interview on May 22.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Politics
Jun 3, 2026
Former Canadian diplomat detained in China says Japan needs to help constrain Beijing
Countries like Japan, South Korea and Australia cannot counter China on their own, but with the U.S. and India, they could constrain Beijing¡¯s influence, Michael Kovrig says.
From left: FBI Director Kash Patel, Defense Intelligence Agency Director Lt. Gen. James Adams, Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard, Acting National Security Agency Director Lt. Gen. William Hartman and CIA Director John Ratcliffe testify before a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington on March 18.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 3, 2026
Top U.S. spy agencies feud over turf and mission
The infighting between the CIA and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) has flared for more than a year.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks during the National Defense Academy's graduation ceremony in Yokosuka, Kanagawa Prefecture, in March. The Japanese leader currently has the political and procedural leverage to pursue sweeping reforms, including the creation of an intelligence agency modeled on the CIA.
EDITORIALS
May 29, 2026
Long overdue, Japan updates its intelligence infrastructure
The government of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is taking steps to improve that capability with passage of the National Intelligence Council Law.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi speaks during an Upper House Cabinet Committee meeting on Tuesday.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Politics / ANALYSIS
May 27, 2026
How the intel bill showed Japan¡¯s new political reality
The debate surrounding the National Intelligence Council Law revealed less about Japan¡¯s intelligence system than the current contours of the country¡¯s new political reality.
U.S. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard testifies before the Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington in March 2025.
WORLD / Politics
May 23, 2026
Tulsi Gabbard resigns as Trump¡¯s top U.S. intelligence official
Gabbard cited her husband¡¯s battle with bone cancer, but a source familiar with the matter said that she had been forced out by the White House.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi receives a policy recommendation document from Takayuki Kobayashi (center left), head of the Liberal Democratic Party's Headquarters for Intelligence Strategy, in March at the Prime Minister's Office.
51³Ô¹ÏÍø / Politics / FOCUS
May 14, 2026
Government ramps up push to enhance intelligence capabilities
As a first step, the government plans to establish a national intelligence bureau as early as July.
Lu Jianwang, a U.S. citizen charged with conspiring to act as an agent of the Chinese government by helping set up a Chinese ¡°secret police station,¡± arrives at Brooklyn federal court during his trial in New York on Tuesday.
WORLD / Crime & Legal
May 14, 2026
Man accused of running China police outpost in New York convicted
The man, a U.S. citizen, was also convicted in Brooklyn federal court of obstruction of justice.
Japan scientists identify clusters of protein believed to trigger Alzheimer¡¯s disease
A team of researchers said they found a ¡°seed¡± that accelerates the amyloid beta accumulation process in the brain, naming it ¡°Peak 1 amyloid beta,¡± as seen in a mouse's brain.
Indian brothers make manga debut in Japan
Two Indian brothers made their manga debut in Japan with "Kung Fu Kung Fool" ¡ª an action-comedy series that follows the adventures of a notorious thief and a young boy.
Japan weighs regulating Pokemon cards amid trading mania
A Pokemon event is held in Jakarta on July 11
Low-income families in Japan cut food and air conditioning during summer break
Yumiko Watanabe, the chairperson of nonprofit Kidsdoor, explains the results of a survey in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward on July 1.
Iran strikes on CIA facilities prompt questions about possible Russian role
Iranian drones are displayed in an undisclosed location in Iran, in this handout image obtained on Jan. 13, 2025.U.S. officials have acknowledged that Russia has ?provided targeting ?and other support for Iran in its drone strikes on U.S. targets in the Persian Gulf region.
The sci-fi sensibilities of electronic trio Black Boboi
Black Boboi was formed in 2018 when solo artists Julia Shortreed, Utena Kobayashi and Ermhoi came together under Kobayashi¡¯s newly founded label, Bindividual.
A perfect storm: Kaze Fujii fans flock to Fuji Rock
Okayama-born singer-songwriter Kaze Fujii has carved out a distinctive place in Japanese pop since his major-label debut in 2019.
Can Japanese comedy get laughs in English? Yoshimoto Kogyo lets the jokes rip
Wes-P has millions of followers and his viral clips made him recognizable out of Japan.
The 180-day locals: Life on Japan¡¯s digital nomad visa
Christopher Flinn works remotely from Tokyo earlier this month. Japan issued 646 digital nomad visas in 2025, but tourism officials are hoping to increase that figure in the coming years, with Japan's relatively cheap cost of living and the weak yen seen as potential draws for young professionals.
Japan reveals hint of new defense spending target in fiscal blueprint
The Self-Defense Forces' Type 16 mobile combat vehicle fires during a joint live-fire drill with U.S. Marines as part of the annual Resolute Dragon exercises in Yufu, Oita Prefecture, on June 28.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo¡¯s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo¡¯s ¡®stadium of desire¡¯

Longform

For many people, utility poles and power lines have become such a familiar part of Japan¡¯s landscape that they often go unnoticed.
Why Japan¡¯s utility poles won¡¯t be disappearing anytime soon
By Alex K.T. Martin

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