Japan to set up new unit to collect intelligence over terrorism

Japan is planning to beef up its anti-terrorism capabilities by setting up a new unit next week to collect intelligence on international terrorism, according to the government's top spokesman Yoshihide Suga on Friday.

The spokesman said here that the new unit will be launched within the Foreign Ministry here, but it will be led by the Prime Minister's Office. Experts from the foreign, defense ministries and other government ministries will also engage in collecting information regarding the Middle East, North Africa, Southeast Asia and South Asia, according to local report.

Through the launch of the unit, the government will strengthen information gathering and analysis regarding terrorism, beef up security at ports, airports and other key facilities, and step up antiterrorism training, among other measures, Japan's Kyodo News quoted Suga as reporting.

The move came after a series of deadly terror attacks in Paris last month and two Japanese nationals were killed by Islamic militants earlier this year.

Japan aims at strengthening its counter-terrorism capacities in order to secure a summit of the Group of Seven to be held here in May next year and Rugby World Cup in 2019 and the Olympics and Paralympics in 2020.

The government here is also considering deploying experts to Japanese diplomatic postings abroad to get firsthand information and contact intelligence organs of other countries, Kyodo cited government officials as saying.

According to Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Japan will not provide military and logistic support to countries that are engaging in battles against the terrorism group Islamic State under the country's newly adopted security legislation. Endit