NSA asked Japan to tap regionwide fiber-optic cables in 2011 | The Japan Times

NSA asked Japan to tap regionwide fiber-optic cables in 2011 | The Japan Times:
But Tokyo decided it could not do so because under current legislation, it cannot intercept such communications even if the aim is to prevent a terrorist act. Japan also has a substantially smaller number of intelligence personnel, compared with the NSA’s estimated 30,000 employees, the sources said.