Is the Time Right for Japan to Become Five Eyes’ ‘Sixth Eye’?

Tokyo has wanted into the exclusive multilateral intelligence-sharing club for some time.

Japanese Defense Minister Taro Kono spoke to the Nikkei Asian Review recently to reiterate something he and his government have long had an interest in: elevating Japan’s relations with the privileged «Five Eyes» intelligence-sharing group. Arguably, Five Eyes finds its origins in the initial World War II-era signals intelligence cooperation between the United Kingdom and the United States.
Japan, an industrially advanced, U.S.-allied nation, with robust domestic intelligence gathering and analysis capacity, is the most commonly mentioned candidate for possible expansion. But a formal expansion to include Japan may grow in appeal over time. The idea is gaining currency elsewhere within the Five Eyes group. In the United Kingdom, where views on China on the political right have shifted dramatically in the past two years, there is growing support to expand intelligence-sharing with Japan.

This article was written by Ankit Panda

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