Japanese defense forces have had secret intelligence units abroad since Cold War: Kyodo

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Japanese Ground Self-Defense Force spies are said to have secretly gathered intelligence abroad since the Cold War era without informing the prime minister or defense minister.
Sohn Jung-in has the details. Kyodo News Agency reported Wednesday that Japan's Ground Self-Defense Forces have secret intelligence units in several countries, including South Korea, that operate without a legal basis.
According to the agency, Japan's prime ministers and defense ministers were not aware of the existence of the spy organization nor its activities overseas.
The members of the secret unit are said to have finished courses on defense against psychological warfare at a GSDF school in Kodaira in Tokyo before joining the units.
The report said that the spies engaged in intelligence activities in the former Soviet Union, China and North Korea at three different bases overseas during the Cold War, and that recently, they have been gathering intelligence in South Korea, Russia and Poland.
The units have been reporting the information they've gathered to the chief of the Ground Staff Office and the Defense Intelligence Headquarters.

Many Japanese have been surprised at the recent revelations and say that maintaining an intelligence team without the knowledge of the prime minister or defense minister is a violation of the self-defense forces' principles.
This comes after the news that the Japanese government is seeking to pass a state secrets protection bill that would impose stricter penalties on those that reveal state secrets.
Sohn Jung-in, Arirang News.