[Provisional Translation]

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe held the 23rd Ministerial Meeting Concerning Measures Against Crime at the Prime Minister's Office.

At the meeting, there was a discussion on the current state of and countermeasures in response to international terrorism, measures to prevent repeated offending, and the state of progress of various measures against crime.

Based on the discussion, the Prime Minister said,

“The threat of terrorism has entered a new stage.

As reflected in President Obama’s speech yesterday, the current situation of international terrorism presents unprecedented challenges. As Japan prepares for the coming G7 Summit and Olympic and Paralympic Games, we must cooperate with the international community and, with a sense of crisis, exert every effort to implement countermeasures.

The Counter Terrorism Unit - Japan  (CTU-J) established today will be the core of these measures that we have just compiled. As a force directly under the Prime Minister’s Office, the CTU-J will collect and collate data on international terrorism. The Prime Minister’s Office will act as the control tower to strongly advance various proactive measures for the prevention of terrorism, and I would like you all to stand in solidarity to fulfill your responsibilities.

Today we also held a discussion on measures to prevent repeated offending, an important pillar of our anti-crime measures.
When I visited an advanced rehabilitative care facility recently, I realized that, for example, in implementing guidance to facilitate the return to society of people who are dependent on drugs, a long-term, committed approach is essential. There is a need to ensure that treatment for drug dependency by medical institutions is available in all of Japan’s prefectures, rather than the current approximately half, as soon as possible.

With the public and private sectors working as one, I would like you to focus your efforts to ensure that our measures to prevent repeated offending are steadily advanced, in order to reduce by as much as possible the number of people who are the victims of crime.

Ensuring safety and security is the foundation of all our activities. There are still many issues to be addressed in order to ensure good public order, such as the prevention of crimes aimed at children, women, and the elderly; and measures to counter cyber-attacks. I would like each Minister to demonstrate strong leadership and focus all your efforts towards making Japan the safest country in the world. Thank you.”