Japan has admitted it must do more to stop foreign spies. This comes after an American newspaper reported that Russia is using the country to steal technology for the war in Ukraine.
An investigation by the New York Times revealed that Moscow is taking advantage of weak Japanese laws. The report claims Russian agents use Japan as a secret hub to buy dual-use technology, which means commercial parts that can also be used in weapons.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara spoke about the issue on Monday. The top government spokesman said that the global security situation is changing quickly. Because of this, Japan needs to work much harder to stop foreign agents from stealing critical data.
The spokesman did not talk about the specific details in the newspaper report. However, the official promised that the government in Tokyo would deal with the issue much more strictly.
The newspaper report shared shocking data from the Ukrainian government. The data suggests that up to 90 per cent of Russian missiles and drones contain parts made in Japan.
The report named Maksim Vladimirovich Filchenkov as the leader of the operation. It claims the individual is a Russian spy working under cover at the Tokyo office of the Russian airline Aeroflot.
Global sanctions stop Japan from selling technology directly to Russia. To get around this, the smuggling networks use fake companies. They ship the microchips and machine parts through other countries like Vietnam, Uzbekistan, and Sri Lanka before they reach Russia.
Minoru Kihara added that Japan is already taking action. The Japanese parliament recently passed a new law. This law will create a new national group to bring together the country's separate intelligence agencies and better protect its secrets.
