Anti-conspiracy law comes into force
July 11, 2017
TOKYO- The anti-conspiracy law took effect in Japan on Tuesday, allowing authorities to criminalize planning and preparations to commit serious crimes, including terrorist attacks. The government now plans to ratify promptly the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime so that the country can share investigative information about organized crimes with other nations.
Under the law, a group of two or more people can be punished for plotting a crime at the planning stage, or before committing it, if any member starts an act of preparation for the crime.
The Diet, Japan's parliament, enacted the law last month, with support from the ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party and Komeito, as well as Nippon Ishin no Kai, an opposition party.
During Diet debates on the controversial law, opposition parties expressed concerns that investigative authorities may use the law arbitrarily.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a press conference on Monday that the government will make efforts to ensure the law is implemented appropriately and effectively.
The law lists a total of 277 types of crimes, including organized murder and human and drug trafficking.
The government says Japan needs the law in order to join the UN convention so that it can step up efforts to strengthen measures against terrorist attacks toward the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics.
The anti-conspiracy legislation .has been welcomed by some as being necessary as part of the nation's efforts to prevent terrorism, while others are concerned that it could lead law-enforcement authorities to launch investigations prematurely before conditions are met and help create a surveillance society.
The revised organized crime punishment law now newly enables authorities to criminalize people planning and preparing to commit acts of terrorism and other serious offenses.
Noting that Japan can ratify the UN Convention against Transnational Organized Crime following the enforcement of the law, a senior police official expressed hopes that the country will be able to "cooperate more smoothly with other signatories in criminal investigations and handovers of suspects," leading to progress in probes into organized crimes.
The official brushed aside concerns over possible abuse of the law by investigative authorities. Any compulsory investigations require search warrants from courts, meaning that such probes are subject to judicial scrutiny, the official noted.
Still, the official said that the application of the law to specific cases will have to be considered carefully, citing parliamentary debates on the legislation during which opposition parties strongly opposed the legislation.
The revised law was enacted last month as the Liberal Democratic Party-led ruling bloc railroaded it through the parliament. (Jiji Press)
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