Japan Signals Tougher Counterintelligence Stance After Report on Russian Spy Activity

According to Lianhe Zaobao citing The New York Times, Russia has turned Japan into a key hub for intelligence gathering and procurement of weapons components after Western countries expelled hundreds of suspected Russian spies following Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The report said dozens of expelled operatives later appeared in Japan, which it described as vulnerable due to weak espionage laws, and cited a Ukrainian government estimate that 90% of Russia’s missiles and drones contain Japan-made parts.

The report cited current and former officials from five Western intelligence agencies as saying a Russian military intelligence unit known as the “20th Directorate” is based in Tokyo, with personnel posing as diplomats and businesspeople to buy or steal battlefield technology and smuggle it to Russia. It said the unit is led by intelligence officer Maksim Vladimirovich Filchenkov, who allegedly used cover as an employee at the Tokyo office of Russia’s state-owned airline Aeroflot, and that the procurement network routes components through intermediaries and third countries including Vietnam, Uzbekistan and Sri Lanka.

Japan’s Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara on July 13 declined to comment directly on the report but said Tokyo must take a tougher approach and more actively guard against foreign intelligence activities that threaten national security. He said parliament has approved legislation this year to pave the way for a new national body to coordinate intelligence activities.