The North Korean factor in the improvement of Japanese intelligence capability

Abstract

When considered against the background of its economic and technological strength, Japan had maintained an anomalously moderate national intelligence capability throughout the Cold War period. However, Japan has been progressively getting out of this low-key stance in the area of national intelligence. This article argues that, among various international developments, the most obvious and immediate momentum for the improvement in Japan's national intelligence has come from a series of security events caused by North Korea, such as: the first and second nuclear crisis respectively in 1993-94 and 2002-present; the test-firing of the Nodong-1 ballistic missile in 1993 and the launching of the Taepodong-1 rocket in 1998; alleged spy ship incidents in 1999 and 2001; and the long suspected North Korean kidnapping of Japanese citizens and Pyongyang's admission to it in 2002. The article goes on to answer the following questions: how has Japan's national intelligence responded and what efforts has Japan made to upgrade intelligence capability in the face of North Korea-related security concerns? And what are the next steps Japan could take for progressive improvement of intelligence capability?