Kirk here with a concerning article from the Kumanichi. The thrust of it is that surveillance efforts that were to be focused on foreign threats may be, if the article is correct, being directed toward Japanese nationals, particularly university professors.

In the U.S., J.D. Vance said:

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There is a wisdom in what Richard Nixon said approximately 40 to 50 years ago. He said, and I quote, 'The professors are the enemy.'
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I quote Vance not because I agree with him but because his rhetoric is a good example, in my view, of the thought process behind the targeting of academics. Egg heads (even me sometimes) are the kinds of people who point to a naked emperor and blurt out "that guy's not wearing any clothes." Such people are not appreciated by emperors who are trying to convince you to see their fancy, patriotic threads.

By the way, this is not specific to Kumamoto but, aside from the fact that the article appeared in the Kumanichi, there are plenty of connections to Kumamoto, including protests against military escalation led by university professors here.

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Exclusive: JGSDF Intelligence Unit Allegedly Investigated “Patriotism” and Collected Personal Information on Thousands of Domestic Experts and Others—Possible Departure from Civilian Control

Distributed Thursday, July 23, at 11:39 a.m.

Kumamoto Nichinichi Shimbun

It was learned on July 22, through interviews with former unit members and related documents, that the Local Intelligence Unit, the foreign-intelligence division of the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force’s Military Intelligence Command, based at Camp Asaka in Tokyo and Saitama, is believed to have systematically investigated and collected information concerning the thoughts and beliefs of Japanese citizens—including university professors and representatives of nonprofit organizations—under headings such as “patriotism” and “attitude toward the Self-Defense Forces.”

Although the unit’s original mission is to conduct intelligence activities overseas, it has been carrying out human intelligence operations within Japan without a clear legal basis. The information collected may cover several thousand individuals. The unit’s activities are reportedly unknown even to the defense minister and other politicians and government officials, raising concerns that they may constitute a departure from civilian control.

The Local Intelligence Unit was established in 2007 for the purpose of conducting operations overseas, following lessons learned from the Self-Defense Forces’ deployment to Iraq beginning in 2003, where the forces had lacked sufficient local intelligence. The unit is based at Camp Asaka and, according to people familiar with it, consists of approximately 50 to 60 personnel. In practice, however, most of its members are reportedly engaged in collecting the personal information of civilians within Japan.
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