Japan is preparing to launch its first centralized intelligence agency since World War II, as officials seek to strengthen the country’s response to espionage from China, Russia, and North Korea. The new agency, supported by advice from partners in the US, Australia, and Germany, is expected to be running by December and will report to Japan’s prime minister. Tokyo has set aside $407 million for the effort, part of a wider security shift that also includes a record $58 billion defense budget this year. Japan’s intelligence history stretches back to the late 1800s, but its postwar defeat led the country to dismantle much of its defense and intelligence infrastructure and rely heavily on the US.
True Spies
Spy Cities - London
How many secrets can one city hold?
London’s spy story stretches from Parliament’s cellars to private members’ clubs, the city’s financial district and beyond. In 1605, Sir Robert Cecil helped expose the Gunpowder Plot, using surveillance and informants to uncover the network behind Guy Fawkes before the House of Lords could be blown apart.
A century later, Daniel Defoe, now remembered for Robinson Crusoe, was recruited after a spell in Newgate Prison. Sent north by Tory minister Robert Harley, he gathered intelligence in Scotland and helped shape opinion ahead of the 1707 Act of Union.
By the Cold War, London’s clubs had become fertile ground for gossip, access, and recruitment. Figures linked to the Cambridge Five moved through clubland, while diplomats, intelligence officers, and political insiders mixed behind closed doors. The city’s shadows have not disappeared. From Russian-linked wealth to concerns over a proposed Chinese embassy near the Tower of London, espionage still finds room in the capital’s oldest streets.
Join Joe Foley in this week’s podcast selection, ‘Brief Histories: Spy Cities - London,’ to unlock the capitals shadowy espionage history!
Take on immersive games and challenges at SPYGAMES! Test your team's skills and strategy, compete to climb the leaderboards, and recharge with food and drink in your own private space hosted by a dedicated staff member.
Book your next team social.
Take on immersive games and challenges at SPYGAMES! Test your team's skills and strategy, compete to climb the leaderboards, and recharge with food and drink in your own private space hosted by a dedicated staff member.
The Q Type is a personality type, like Myers-Briggs or the Enneagram, except yours comes from how you actually behave under pressure, not just how you answer questions about yourself. Developed with top spy trainers and leading psychologists, it maps your strengths, decision-making style, and hidden potential.
Are you the Intelligence Operative Q Type? Intelligence Operatives make complicated spy operations possible. They work with officers across an intelligence service to ensure plans turn into action and risky maneuvers into success.
They are involved in a very wide variety of operations, and so need to learn fast. Their tasks include: researching targets through open data sources; preparing clandestine entry to buildings; working in teams to watch for followers; and meeting agents. Like other intelligence officers, their work is usually unseen, but ignored only by the foolish. Find out what type of spy you'd be at SPYSCAPE.
James Bond is investigating the abductions of two British Army officers. The trail leads to SCORPION, the Secret Corporation of Intelligence and Operations Network, a new criminal organization risen from the ashes of SPECTRE! Solve this week’s SPYSCAPE crossword to help 007 follow the clues and uncover their next move.
Give your party guests an unforgettable experience designed to engage, entertain, and inspire. Our dedicated staff will be on hand to help, and you'll even get your own private space to celebrate.
Host your birthday at SPYSCAPE or SPYGAMES.
Give your party guests an unforgettable experience designed to engage, entertain, and inspire. Our dedicated staff will be on hand to help, and you'll even get your own private space to celebrate.
Scientists have found a sugar molecule inside clouds of dust and gas near the center of the Milky Way. The molecule, called erythrulose, is common in raspberries and self-tanning products, and its discovery suggests that some of life’s chemical building blocks may have formed far beyond Earth.
Astronomers had previously identified simpler sugar-like molecules in space. Erythrulose goes further. With four carbon atoms, it is the most complex sugar molecule found there so far, and the first to meet the chemical definition of a true sugar. Scientists detected it by matching its radio-wave signature to measurements made in a lab, a method that works like a chemical fingerprint. The study was published in the journal Nature Astronomy.
Sugars matter because they help power living organisms and form part of DNA and RNA. Erythrulose is not used by living things, but it can be converted into important sugars. Researchers estimate that millions of tons of the molecule may have fallen to Earth during the Late Heavy Bombardment around 4 billion years ago.
Try brain-teasing challenges at SPYSCAPE and pulse-racing fun in SPYGAMES.
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