JAPAN: 2009 COUNTRY REPORTS ON TERRORISM

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 TOKYO 002922 SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP/J, S/CT RHONDA SHORE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PTER ASEC EFIN KCRM PREL PGOV JA SUBJECT: JAPAN: 2009 COUNTRY REPORTS ON TERRORISM REF: STATE 109980 TOKYO 00002922 001.2 OF 003 ¶1. (U) Per reftel, 2009 Country Report on Terrorism for Japan provided in paragraph 2. Embassy point of contact is Political Officer Jamie Roane (roanejo@state.gov, roanejo@state.sgov.gov). ¶2. (U) Begin report text. Japan Japan bolstered border security and enhanced national counterterrorism measures in coordination with the United States. Japanese immigration officials strengthened their capability to identify suspicious travelers upon entry into Narita International Airport through fingerprinting and facial recognition technology. Using the Biometric Immigration Control System, officials denied entry to travelers during 2009 for offenses such as prior deportation and fake passports. In July, the Foreign Ministry's International Counterterrorism Cooperation Division exchanged diplomatic notes with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to extend the Immigration Advisory Program (IAP) at Narita International Airport for two additional years and to remove "pilot" from the agreement. Japan's Immigration Bureau, National Police Agency (NPA),and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Tourism, and Travel coordinated with the CBP on preventing terrorists and other high-risk travelers from boarding commercial aircraft bound for the United States. Japanese officials see the program as a valuable tool to secure travel between Japan and the United States and as an effective way to share information and prevent suspected terrorists and improperly documented air passengers from boarding U.S.-bound flights. In June, Japan and the United States signed a Mutual Recognition Arrangement in Brussels, aligning security standards in both countries' trade partnership programs. Japanese authorities collaborated with U.S. officials on increasing U.S. access to database records and fingerprints of known or suspected terrorists. As a Visa Waiver Program country, Japan held discussions with U.S. counterparts to widen database and biometric record exchanges on known and suspected terrorists under Homeland Security Presidential Directive-6. The Japanese government also educated travelers on the Electronic System for Travel Authorization through media spots and briefings to major domestic travel agencies. Japan took steps to strengthen port and shipping security. Under the CBP Container Security Initiative, Japanese authorities worked with CBP officers at four Japanese ports to review ship manifests and to screen suspicious containers bound for the United States. In March, Japan installed necessary equipment, such as radiation portal monitors, and began screening containers under the pilot Megaports Initiative Program. Japan also continued collaboration with the United States on science and technology for homeland security through the U.S.-Japan Framework Initiative for a Safe and Secure Society. The NPA and the Public Security Intelligence Agency (PSIA) continued to monitor the activities of Aum Shinrikyo, renamed Aleph, and splinter group Hikari no Wa, or "Circle of Light." In January, PSIA successfully filed a request to maintain surveillance of Aleph and Hikari no Wa for an additional three years. PSIA has monitored Aum since 2000 under the Organization Control Law, a measure that allows the Agency to conduct on-site facility inspection and to obtain quarterly operational reports from the cult. Both sects continued to perpetuate the "dogma" and ideology of Aum founder and 1995 sarin gas attack mastermind Chizuo Matsumoto, aka Shoko Asahara. PSIA inspections revealed that many original Aum members continued to hold leadership position in the groups and that facilities maintained portrait photos and video TOKYO 00002922 002.2 OF 003 teachings of Asahara. Japan reached beyond its borders to fight terrorism as well. Japan is the second largest contributor to Iraq reconstruction with $1.5 billion in grants, $3.5 billion in concessionary loans, and $6.9 billion in debt relief. Japan Air Self Defense Force transport aircraft operated out of Kuwait in support of Iraqi Freedom but ended its mission in December 2008. On Afghanistan, Japan remained an active partner in Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and a key international contributor to Afghan stabilization and reconstruction. Japan has pledged more than $2 billion in reconstruction aid since 2002 and continued construction on the 114 kilometer stretch of the southern ring road between Kandahar and Herat. In November, Japan announced a new 5-year, $5 billion assistance package that included, among other items, continued funding of Afghan National Police salaries, job training initiatives, and employment programs for former lower-echelon insurgents. The Japan Maritime Self Defense Force continued to conduct refueling operations in support of OEF in the Indian Ocean, but the new Japanese administration, elected in August, has pledged to end the mission when authorization expires in January 2010. In April, Tokyo pledged $1 billion for assistance to Pakistan over the next two years. In December, Japan hosted the fifth annual U.S.-Japan-Australia Trilateral Strategic Dialogue (TSD) Counterterrorism Consultations, as part of the broader TSD, which aimed to coordinate regional activities. Japanese officials chaired a specialist working group on border security and counterradicalization and took part in discussions on law enforcement capacity building and on ways to prevent chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear (CBRN) attacks. The TSD Consultations followed a TSD Counterradicalization Workshop Japan hosted in July. Japan continued to assist counterterrorism capacity building in neighboring countries through dialogue, seminars, workshops, and training. In July, Japanese officials took part in the third Japan-South Korea Counterterrorism Consultations. Both sides explained their respective efforts on capacity building assistance and explored the possibility of joint CT cooperation. In August, Japan co-chaired the Fourth Japan-ASEAN Counterterrorism Dialogue in Vietnam. In December, Japanese officials took part in the first Japan-Singapore Counterterrorism Dialogue. The Japanese Counterterrorism Ambassador reaffirmed the necessity of enhancing capacity building assistance to developing countries, strengthening counterradicalization efforts, and promoting secure trade in the APEC region. In March, Japan hosted the Seminar on Promotion of Accession to International Counterterrorism Conventions and Protocols for the sixth consecutive year. Tokyo promoted information sharing and provided implementation guidance to participants including Fiji, Papua New Guinea, and several members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN),among others. Japan supported regional projects, such as counterterrorism research in Malaysia and terrorist rehabilitation programs in Indonesia, through the Japan-ASEAN Integrated Fund. Over the past few years, Japan has invited roughly 60 teachers from 17 Indonesian provinces and 43 madrassahs for the purpose of fostering "cultural understanding" and opening inter-faith dialogue. Japan has expanded the pool of visitors to include Yemen and the Philippines and is considering Pakistan as well. Japanese officials also point to the Japan Foundation's Japan-East Asia Network of Exchange for Students and Youths program, an initiative by which Japan invites emerging artists and leaders from the Asia-Pacific region to stay in different residency programs and institutions across Japan. TOKYO 00002922 003.2 OF 003 Japan assisted third-country law enforcement personnel by dispatching experts and accepting trainees. The Japanese Coast Guard (JCG),for example, provided capacity building services and training seminars to authorities from states that border the Straits of Malacca, a locale for piracy. Since 2002, Japan has provided training to Coast Guard counterparts from the Philippines and has offered technical assistance to support local police in Indonesia by, in part, introducing the Japanese police box, or koban, system. Beyond Southeast Asia, JCG members assisted local officials in Oman and Yemen in addressing piracy concerns in waters off the Horn of Africa. Japan contributed to counterterrorism capacity building through membership in multilateral fora. In July, Japan joined G-8 counterparts in calls to bolster the role of the United Nations, improve information sharing, strengthen the security of land, sea, and air transportation, and support the G-8 Counterterrorism Action Group. Teaming up with international partners, Japan continued efforts to prevent, detect, and respond to the threat of nuclear terrorism through the U.S. Global Initiative to Combat Nuclear Terrorism. Japan also worked with the United States and other partners through the Global Health Security Initiative to address CBRN terrorism and other health threats. Japan undertook measures to combat terrorist financing. Japan cooperated on freezing assets of individuals and entities listed under UN Security Council resolutions to help stem the flow of terrorist financing to Al-Qa'ida and the Taliban. Japan expanded the scope of business practices and professions under the Law for Prevention of Transfer of Criminal Proceeds, which requires specified business operators, including financial institutions, to conduct customer identification and submit suspicious transaction reports. Under the Foreign Exchange and Foreign Trade Law, Japanese financial institutions must confirm the identity of customers sending 100,000 yen or more overseas. For domestic remittances, financial institutions must identify originators of wire transfers over 100,000 yen. Japan's Banking Law also levies administrative sanctions on financial institutions that fail to comply with anti-money laundering and counterterrorism financing measures. In addition, the Financial Services Agency and the NPA's Financial Intelligence Unit inspect financial institutions for compliance with counterterrorism financing laws and regulations. In June, the Japanese Diet passed the Payment Services Act, which addresses October 2008 Financial Action Task Force (FATF) Mutual Evaluation recommendations pertaining to customer due diligence and money transfer services. The evaluation had noted several deficiencies, including the low number of money laundering prosecutions, the absence of an established mechanism for freezing terrorist assets that covered domestic funds, and the absence of a requirement for financial institutions to establish and maintain procedures, policies, and internal controls to prevent illicit finance. Japan's Financial Services Agency must still adopt implementing rules. The Diet also amended Customs Act secondary legislation, which addressed in part the FATF recommendation pertaining to cross-border currency declaration and disclosure. In November, the Deputy Prime Minister said the government would begin a full-scale study of introducing a unified taxpayer identification system, which would help clarify the identity of parties to financial transactions. End Report Text ROOS