A Ground Self-Defense Force intelligence-gathering unit compiled personal information on civilians without revealing its identity and managed the files as an organization, former members of the unit said. The survey items included "thought and creed" and "sexual preference," according to the former members.
The unit, called the Genshi Joho-tai (on-site intelligence unit), is based at Camp Asaka. Members justified the practice internally by saying they needed to know people's thinking in order to cultivate cooperators, the former members said. It may violate the Act on the Protection of Personal Information, which prohibits obtaining personal data by improper means.
Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi has said at press conferences that "no inappropriate activity has been confirmed" and has not acknowledged that the reports exist.
Files built on foreign residents
According to the former members, the unit assigned each member a specific country, including African and Southeast Asian nations. Members approached restaurant owners from their assigned countries who live in Japan, as well as Japanese researchers, to gather information on local conditions and to collect personal details, which they entered into what was called a "personal BSD (basic source data) report."
A report obtained by Kyodo News listed 41 survey items, including physical characteristics, address, phone number and place of work.