After its defeat in World War II, many of the political legacies nurtured during Japan's militaristic era became politically taboo.

They include its intelligence-gathering units, such as those under the Imperial Japanese Army and the military police, as well as strict confidentiality laws to punish public servants who leak sensitive government information to outsiders.

But as tension with China increases over the Japan-held Senkaku islets and with North Korea repeatedly threatening to launch ballistic missiles that could easily reach Japanese territory, Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is ready to shatter this self-imposed prohibition.