Japan to Set Up Cross-Agency Team to Prevent Terrorism

Tokyo, Dec. 11 (Jiji Press)--Japan's government on Monday adopted an outline of steps to prevent terrorism, including the establishment in summer next year of a cross-agency team to promote the sharing and analysis of related information within the government, ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, and other international events to be held in the nation. "We need to work closely with the international community to take all possible measures to prevent terrorist attacks," in the lead-up to the Olympic and Paralympic Games, and the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a meeting of the government's headquarters to fight international organized crimes and terrorism. Currently, the prime minister's office-led counterterrorism intelligence unit and officials of Japan's diplomatic missions abroad collect terror information, which is managed in an integrated fashion by the terrorism information office headed by Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Kazuhiro Sugita. But the office's work has not been speedy as it needs to take complicated procedures to check information at ministries and agencies. According to the just-adopted outline, the new cross-agency team will be established within the Sugita-led office. Officials from 11 ministries and agencies, including the Foreign Ministry, the National Police Agency and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, will be stationed in the team, enabling swift sharing and analysis of information within the government by skipping complicated procedures. Also, the counterterrorism intelligence unit will be strengthened. The outline also includes measures for the protection of train stations, airports and other soft targets, which attract many people and therefore are vulnerable to terror attacks. Specifically, a working group will be set up at the transport ministry to strengthen cooperation with railway operators and airlines in order to beef up surveillance. To strengthen rescue activities in the event of terror attacks, the government will develop an effective system to transport injured people to medical institutions and enhance programs to foster surgeons. END