The Japanese government is researching the creation of an overseas intelligence agency, possibly modelled on Britain’s Military Intelligence, Section 6 (MI6), The Daily Mail reported on 6 March.
The Liberal Democratic Party plans to draft proposals in the autumn, after members visit London on a fact-finding mission.
Japan’s intelligence community comprises some 4,400 staff, who work under different ministries.
Experts note a reluctance to share secrets across bureaucratic lines, and say that the new agency would be an integral part of a security framework Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is building.