THE nation said it has recognised the need to counter foreign intelligence better after The New York Times reported that Russia had turned the country into a “den of spies” and key source of weapons components.
In an investigation published on Sunday, the NYT reported that thanks to “weak espionage laws”, Moscow was using Japan as a key hub for intelligence gathering and procurement of dual-use technology that is needed for its war in Ukraine.
“We recognise that in a rapidly- changing security environment, there is a growing need to counter foreign intelligence activities – such as the acquisition of critical information – that threaten Japan’s national security,” chief government spokesman Minoru Kihara said yesterday.
Declining to comment directly on the NYT report, Kihara told reporters that Tokyo “must address this issue with even greater rigour”.
The report cited Ukrainian government estimates that 90% of Russian missiles and drones contain Japanese components. It said that Russia’s operations in Japan were being run by Maksim Vladimirovich Filchenkov, a Russian intelligence operative working undercover at the Tokyo office of Russian airline Aeroflot.
As direct exports to Russia are restricted, procurement networks use intermediary companies and third countries like Vietnam and Sri Lanka to move components into Russia, the newspaper added.
Kihara added that Japan’s parliament this year approved legislation, paving the way for the creation of a new national body to coordinate its fragmented intelligence activities. — AFP
