The term “Tokko” (short for Tokubetsu Koto Keisatsu) was used for the secret police of Imperial Japan from 1911 to 1945. Often compared to the infamous Nazi Gestapo or the Soviet NKVD, it was associated with Japanese militarism, surveillance, and authoritarianism. However, it was dissolved after Japan’s defeat in 1945 during Allied occupation reforms. These reforms (Article 9) included the renunciation of war and the discontinuation of traditional Japanese armed forces. Basically, Japan was denied the possession of war-fighting capabilities, infrastructure, or any form of offensive policies or plans.
Since the Cold War, and especially after the 1990s, Japan has reinterpreted Article 9 more flexibly. This led to a more lenient interpretation allowing “collective self-defence”, implying that Japan could aid allies under attack in certain situations. Various factors, such as the expanding Chinese footprint, a belligerent North Korea, and even the global terror industry, forced a rethink. Many nationalist Japanese leaders insisted that strict pacifist interpretations were outdated and self-defeating in the evolving strategic environment. The Japanese Self-Defence Forces (JSDF) became increasingly militarised, better trained, and started conducting international exercises and missions.