The Japanese are trying to step up to the challenges of our day.
Post-WW2 Japan has operated under significant limitations on its military (the Self-Defense Forces) and its intelligence agencies.
But right now, the Asian island-nation is leaving these restraints in the past, as the new government tries to build a centralized intelligence agency – something that is only natural in most countries, but still controversial there.
Japanese leaders have privately approached partners such as the United States, Australia, and Germany in recent months for advice on technology, staffing, and priorities, according to interviews with officials from Japan and elsewhere. The conversations have not been previously reported.
Hellbound and Down 