Imperial Secretariat of Intelligence and National Security
Official Name: Imperial Secretariat of Intelligence and National Security (帝国情報・国家安全保障事務局)
Short Name: Secretariat of Intelligence (Jouhou Kyoku (情報局))
Acronym: JK
Established: 3576 (1144)
Motto: Always watching, always protecting. (常に見守り、常に守る。)
Mascot: Colobbit
Table of Contents
Brief
The Imperial Secretariat of Intelligence and National Security was one of the first institutions established by Emperor Taiho when he came to power, being formed officially on 30th of Arashigatsu 3576 (19th of January 1144). Its establishment coincided with the introduction of Sophia Valentine into the world, the organization's patron kami, by Tazumi-sama.
Known colloquially as the Secretariat of Intelligence or in Tsukigo, the Jouhou Kyoku ( 情報 局), It had been in the works for several years prior to its official establishment secretly; As a means of overcoming the monopoly that the Vitalis Septem had on intelligence services around the world and the Empire's desire to move away from relying on foreigners for such important positions.
Goals and Principles
The Secretariat of Intelligence, upon its establishment, announced its goals and principles as an institution. They are as follows:
Goals
- The protection of the Empire and its citizens from interior and external threats of all types, including but not limited to:
- Terrorists.
- Foreign agents.
- Cults and Heresy.
- Nation defense threats.
- Illegal trade and market manipulation.
- Shuzi, of all types.
- Foreign information warfare.
- Problematic ideologies.
- Corruption.
- Immorality.
- Industrial Espionage.
- The neutralisation of all threats mentioned above, and any threats prescribed in the future.
- Being an institution that is useful for all parts of society already established and those to be established.
- Conducting itself in ways that are honourable before the Kami.
Principles
- Loyalty and Faithful service to the Emperor, the society, the kami and the people of the Empire before anything else.
- We shall not be agents of chaos, but agents of justice and morality. The Ancient Rites and Principles shall be upheld.
- All actions shall be done in good faith, with righteous neutrality towards politics and acceptable beliefs.
- All information collected shall be confidential to all but the Emperor himself. All information collected in cooperation or for other parts of the nation shall be shared with those authorities.
- Furthermore, all interior threats towards foreign nations shall be shared with said foreign nation's proper authorities with discretion.
Organization and Branches
Interior Intelligence Office
The Interior Office of Intelligence (内務情報局) or simply the NJK is focused on the internal matters of the Empire itself.
These fall into four categories:
- The security of all information that is deemed to be essential from foreigners and interior threats.
- The protection of the citizens of the Empire from all threats.
- The surveillance and neutralisation of domestic threats.
- The protection of the essence of the Tsukijin spirit, mind, and spirit from degeneracy.
These objectives are achieved through the acts of:
- Espionage and counterespionage.
- Working with prefecture police, through any means needed.
- If needed: sabotage, assassination, blackmail, bribery, and other nefarious methods.
- The collection and storage of information on all individuals deemed to be suspicious or a threat.
- The undermining of political, moral, religious, etc. movements that are Anti-Tsukijin in nature.
One of the more interesting aspects of the NJK is the way it is set up and how different they are. It has two main departments:
- Department of National Police and Security (国家警察安全保障局), or simply the Kokkakeisatsu.
- Department for Protecting the Public Security, Morality, and Order (公安・道徳・秩序保護部), or simply Anchisukiru.
The former is the "seen hand" that acts in good faith, coordinates police efforts, and is visible for all to see. The latter, however, is the "unseen hand" which plays the much more ruthless role as the secret police. They both are also structured differently, with the Kokkakeisatsu being structured exactly like the GJK while the Anchisukiru being structured on a purely centralised structure. It is the Anchisukiru that need more discussion, however.
Department for Protecting the Public Security, Morality and Order
The Department for Protecting the Public Security, Morality and Order (公安・道徳・秩序保護部) or the Anchisukiru are the feared fist of persecution and justice that have become infamous due to their ruthless methods, and innate secrecy that veils them.
They three main objectives in mind:
- The policing and rooting out of radical ideologies, cults, and agents of chaos, of all sorts.
- Keeping the "national pulse" of morality alive.
- Bringing to light all evil to be purged.
They have no issue using all measures of backhanded tactics to achieve their objectives, and if that means breaking the law to protect the moral law, they will do it.
Those found to be troublesome by the Anchisukiru are monitored closely and apprehended/eliminated if necessary. Intense and brutal methods of torture are used to extract all possible information from the subjects before their usefulness expires, either by their death once they become disposable or being sent to trial that will result in them becoming "rehabilitated" through intense manual labour on national infrastructure. By "rehabilitated", they of course mean used as free labour for the rest of their lives. Care is taken to ensure however that such as if person truly is guilty before either of these fates are granted to them.
Their motto is rather perturbing:
"All threats must be neutralized by any means necessary." ("すべての脅威は、必要な手段で無力化する必要があります。")
Whatever a "threat" can be labeled as can be the truly terrifying part of this motto for many as it can be seen as merely a voice of discontent against the Emperor.
Nonetheless, from the shadows, the Anchisukiru will continue to lurk for decades if not centuries to come. They have already destroyed all aspects of Vitalis Septum within the Empire after a vicious but victorious fight, and it is rumoured that all people who live in the Empire have their own case files or are watched by the Anchisukiru. Whether that is true or not, is left up to the imagination of all. For the Anchisukiru relish the fear and terror that they bring.
The telling irony of it all is that Room 214, from where the Anchisukiru operate from, has become almost a by-name for the entirety of the Secretariat, despite the Anchisukiru making up one department of one office.
Defense Intelligence Office
The Defense Intelligence Office (防衛情報局) or simply the BJK is concerned with all things related to military intelligence.
These fall into two categories:
- The collection of all information of military value.
- The protection of all information of miliary value.
Both of these objectives are achieved through the acts of:
- Espionage and counterespionage.
- Decryption and encryption.
- Storing of all information gathered securely but easily accessible to the military at large.
In this respect, this office finds itself mostly subordinate to the Armed Forces, and thus has two departments under its umbrella related to both of them.
Department of Naval Intelligence
This Department (海軍情報部), known by the acronym KJB, was the most obvious of the two; given that the Navy operated separate from the interests of the Shoguns. Like some of the other departments under different offices, the KJB existed long before the Secretariat of Intelligence existed. It's merger into it, however, was a natural conclusion and one that was easily performed.
With sections already existing based on the naval stations, naval districts, fleets, and admiralties; the main change on the organisational level with it's merger into the Jouhou Kyoku was the establishment of sections for the various shipyards and naval design bureaus.
The Imperial Tsukinode Navy (大月の出帝国海軍) uses a rather advanced encryption method known as the Helesta Key (ヘルエスタ鍵), which is regularly changed every year.
Department of Army Intelligence
When the Defense Intelligence Office was first formed, the nation was in the opening stages of what would become known as the Heishin War (平神戦争) that would see the eventual ending of the Shoguns and the re-establishment of Imperial Authority. As a result, the Department of Army Intelligence (陸軍情報部), known by the acronym RJB, did not truly exist yet. This is because prior to and during the formation of the Jouhou Kyoku, the Shoguns had kept their own military intelligenceoOffices.
Instead its predecessor, known as the Department of Intelligence for the Garrison and Military Supervision of the Capital (首都の駐屯地と軍事監督のための情報局) was made. It was small and focused only on the garrison of the capital city of Kyōto. But things would shortly change in mid-3579 (1145) as a result of the Emperor's famous Declaration of the Restoration of the Power. This declaration declared that the Right of Governance held by both Shoguns had ended, and the Emperor himself would take over their appointed role in their place. It marked an escalation in the war that would see it go from rebellious daimyos vs. the Shogunates (or more correctly, Shogunate as the Eastern Shogun had been deposed by his western counterpart, who took the title Sei-i Taishōgun (征夷大将軍).) to one between the Shoguns and the Emperor himself. Thus, after the declaration, Emperor Taiho ordered that the former department being expanded into the RJB. It's role in the war would prove to be a key piece for the ultimate victory of the Emperor over the Shogunal Forces, which is another story for another time.
Sections are based upon the various military districts, and high command structures of the that were formed either during, or after the Heishin War.
The Imperial Tsukinode Army (大月の出帝国陸軍) also developed it's own encryption method known as Idios Code (でぃおすコード), which like the Helesta Key is changed regularly.
Foreign Intelligence Office
The Foreign Intelligence Office (外国情報局) or simply the GJK is concerned with all things related to foreign intelligence.
These fall into five categories:
- The collection of all information of use from foreign countries.
- The cooperation with foreign intelligence services against mutual threats.
- The protection of Imperial assets and citizens living in foreign countries from all threats.
- The protection of the geopolitical position of the Empire.
- The waging of "information warfare" (情報戦) within foreign countries when need be.
These objectives are achieved through the acts of:
- Espionage and counterespionage, in all areas of importance.
- The providing of information and assets to foreign intelligence services when needed.
- If needed: sabotage, assassination, blackmail, bribery, and other nefarious methods.
- The establishment of sleeper cells to further the aims of the Empire.
- The promotion of Tsukijin values and morality within foreign nations discreetly.
The GJK, in this respect, is quite the diverse agency. This is reflected in the number of departments and Sections that it has on paper. But these paper departments and sections are far from complete yet in reality for a number of reasons, but mostly being that the GJK was established after the Declaration of the Restoration of the Power in mid-3579 (1145).
As of 3584 (1150), the GJK has focused most of its time into the first three of the five categories because those are the most important things presently for them. Four and five, however, will soon be brought in effectively to begin what is known as "Programme of Civilising the Barbarians" (野蛮人の文明化プログラム). The plans for this are to be carried out by one department, and the rumours are that the department will be like the feared Anchisukiru.
The GJK has an interconnected structure that has its departments organised into "head branches" and "regional branches". How this works in practice is the head branch sets the general objective that is to be achieved in the regional branch(es) while the regional branch carries out the orders. Furthermore, the regional branches are placed under regional departments which centralised all activity in said region under one structure for ease of cooperation.