Japanese spies have secretly worked abroad without informing prime minister, since the cold war

Ground Self-Defense Force spies have secretly gathered intelligence abroad since the Cold War era without informing the prime minister or defense minister, a practice considered deviating from civilian control, former senior defense officials said Wednesday.

A special unit of the Ground Staff Office has set up bases in Russia, China, South Korea and Poland, if not elsewhere, and several dozen GSDF members of the team have engaged in intelligence activities overseas without a legal basis and by assuming false identities, according to the officials.

From Japantimes