Japan's Self-Defense Forces compiled dossiers on civilians. Reports on university professors and civic group members catalogued some 40 categories of personal detail, from personality to sexual preferences.
A secret unit within Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force known as the Field Intelligence Corps systematically collected personal information on civilians, including university professors and non-governmental organization officials with expertise in overseas affairs such as countries where the Self-Defense Forces have been deployed, the Asahi Shimbun reported on the 12th. The activity came to light through a tip from a former member of the unit.
The civilian profiling reports obtained by the Asahi recorded some 40 items in detail, including photographs of the subject, body type, eye and skin color, personality, attitude, ideology, beliefs, financial situation and sexual preferences. Within the organization, contact with subjects was referred to as "sales," and members were assigned a quota of two contacts per month, according to the report.
The practice also raises legal questions. Because the reports were not classified as official documents, they may violate not only the personal information protection law but also the public records management law, which governs the proper handling of administrative documents, the Asahi noted.
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi acknowledged at a news conference shortly after the report that the information-gathering activity had taken place, but drew a line, saying no improper activity had been confirmed at this point.
