Japan in July 2026: the most important developments in security
In July 2026 Japan built up its intelligence and cyber defences while tensions with China and Russia continued. Tokyo police arrested a 15-year-old on July 6 over alleged cyberattacks, and a separate teenager was arrested over an attack on the Bandai Channel that led to 40,000 accounts being cancelled. On July 13 and 14 Japan set up its first new intelligence agency since the Second World War, with a budget of $407 million and the Prime Minister's Office in the lead. On July 18 the government announced measures against Russian spy networks, citing increased espionage, including more information-sharing between agencies and tighter security at sensitive facilities.
Maritime confrontations formed the second theme. On July 7 coast guard vessels of Japan and China faced off near the Senkaku Islands, which China calls the Diaoyu Islands; the China Coast Guard said it warned and expelled a Japanese boat. China and Russia began joint naval drills, and on July 21 Chinese and Russian vessels held a live-fire exercise inside Japan's exclusive economic zone near Okinotorishima, which Tokyo protested as a violation of its maritime rights. China also detained two Japanese nationals over rare earth exports. Military chiefs of Japan, the United States and South Korea reaffirmed three-way cooperation against North Korea on July 16.
On defence policy, Japan's defence minister called on July 19 and 20 for a public debate on nuclear policy, suggesting a rethink of the country's non-nuclear principles. Japan began flight tests of its XEC-2 electronic warfare aircraft, and Terra Drone announced plans to mass-produce defence drones at home. The UK, Japan and Italy committed about $6.1 billion to the GCAP sixth-generation fighter, and Japan agreed to supply defence equipment to Cambodia.
In law enforcement, a police sergeant was arrested for leaking investigation information to a gambling den, four people were arrested over an attempted 190 million yen robbery at Haneda Airport, and 23 students were injured in a spray incident at an Osaka junior high school.
by WorldBrief & Maksim Micheliov | AI-generated summary
Click a day in the chart above for that day's brief.