As Sanae Takaichi, a Japanese minister, pushes for the establishment of a National Intelligence Agency, described as a "Japanese version of the CIA," the number of personnel currently engaged in intelligence gathering and analysis activities is estimated to be approximately 33,000, the Sankei Shimbun reported on the 6th.

Sanae Takaichi, Japanese Minister [Jiji AFP Yonhap News File Photo]

This marks the first time the Japanese government has disclosed the number of personnel involved in intelligence activities, citing the Cabinet Intelligence and Research Office, an agency directly under the Prime Minister's Office, the newspaper reported.

It added that while Japan's approximately 33,000 intelligence personnel fall far short of the roughly 200,000 in the United States and hundreds of thousands in China or Russia, they exceed the numbers in the United Kingdom, France, and Germany, which have around 10,000-20,000 personnel each.

According to the Cabinet Intelligence and Research Office, as of early April, the number of personnel engaged in intelligence activities across various ministries including the Police Agency, Ministry of Defense, Public Security Intelligence Agency, and Ministry of Foreign Affairs was tallied at approximately 33,000.

The largest contingent is within the police force, numbering around 21,000.

Within the police, intelligence personnel are concentrated in the "Public Security" divisions, which monitor radical groups, and in "International Affairs" operations, responsible for counter-espionage and preventing terrorism by foreign powers.

The Japanese government plans to establish the National Intelligence Agency as early as July and aims to launch an external intelligence agency next year.