The government on Friday decided to establish an intelligence-gathering unit on international terrorism in a task force meeting held at the Prime Minister’s Office on measures to deal with international organized crime and terrorism.
In a related move, the National Police Agency the same day told police organizations across the nation to conduct baggage checks at mass spectator facilities, such as athletic stadiums and concert halls, in a move to strengthen safeguards against terrorism in the wake of deadly attacks in and around Paris last month.
The package of antiterror measures presented by the NPA in its notification is characterized by the fact that it calls for bolstering safeguards at so-called soft targets where security measures are not tight conventionally.
Police will ask the management companies of mass gathering facilities where sports and music concerts are held to conduct baggage checks when such events are held and strengthen other safety measures voluntarily.
Police will also ask large-scale shopping malls to install an increased number of security cameras, conduct evacuation guidance drills premised on terrorist attacks and provide tips on suspicious persons more proactively. Patrols by uniformed policemen will be beefed up.
Baggage inspections have been implemented at only some of the facilities. In view of this, the NPA compiled documents calling on the companies responsible for management of such facilities to “increase the number of places where inspectors are assigned and call on spectators to come earlier” and “patrol around blind spot areas.”
The notification also calls on all police organizations to request business operators handling chemical substances that can be used as materials for production of explosives to ensure their safety completely.
The NPA also called for activities to help raise the understanding of residents about security measures, including establishment of community organizations to prevent acts of terror through joint efforts of the private and public sectors and holding public antiterror drills.
On Nov. 14, the day after terrorist attacks in France, the NPA issued directives to tighten security at key domestic facilities and public transport systems, including railway stations.
Data flow improved
The government will set up within the Prime Minister’s Office a council of high-ranking officials that works together with the intelligence-gathering unit to share and analyze information with ministries and agencies concerned. The move is to establish a new structure of information collection and analysis by positioning the office as a control center for the antiterrorism project.
“We need to cooperate with the international community to prevent terrorism at all costs,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said, emphasizing the significance of countering terrorism under a new structure.
The launch of the unit was originally planned for April next year, but the start date was moved up to Tuesday within the Foreign Ministry. The unit comprises about 20 members including those who will be temporarily transferred from the Defense Ministry, the National Police Agency and other authorities. To stress the point that the Prime Minister’s Office is to take the initiative on the antiterrorism project, all the unit members will be assigned to concurrently serve as Cabinet Secretariat officials.
The areas to be covered are Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East and Africa. The government will also dispatch about 20 staff members to diplomatic establishments abroad to gather intelligence about terrorism, choosing personnel who have detailed knowledge of the languages and situations in the areas.
The council is intended to consolidate data that is currently gathered or analyzed by each ministry and agency independently for the Prime Minister’s Office. The council, comprising officials at the director-general level from such authorities as the foreign and defense ministries and the NPA, is chaired by Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Kazuhiro Sugita. An office to consolidate intelligence over international terrorism will be established within the Cabinet Secretariat to function as the council’s secretariat.
Ahead of the Ise-Shima summit scheduled for May next year and the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games, the government will beef up security measures to keep terrorists from entering Japan. A facial recognition system will be introduced at immigration clearance in international airports to enable officers to cross-check with faces of terrorists on international wanted lists. Major airports, including Narita and Kansai airports, will soon install body scanners as well.(The Yomiuri Shimbun)
Link: http://the-japan-news.com/news/article/0002605427
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