But the skills they have honed there are often different from the skills required for classical espionage and many are frankly bored when they return to more routine work where Kevlar and a personal weapon are not required equipment.

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The agency's ire was fueled by Intel's use of technical data as a weapon in its legal disputes with Compaq, Digital Equipment and Intergraph.

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Historically, Japan has rarely bought equipment from European manufacturers, preferring to deal with U.S. weapon manufacturers.

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There are eight categories of weapon, ranging from automatic hardware and machine guns which are prohibited, to hunting equipment allowed with a hunting permit.

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