Access to Intelligence

In the process of verification on kidnapping and murder of two Japanese men in Islamic State, how Japanese government handled information became one of the focusing points. As seen in the tragic result, it was obvious that Japanese government did not have enough information to deal with that difficult situation. Ongoing discussion inside Japan is reinforcing military power for future cases, which looks pointless. Diplomatic communication with Arab nations is crucial for security of the Japanese.

Japan Broadcasting Corporation, or NHK, ran a story brought by a rebel in Syria that Islamic State once brought Kenji Goto, victim of the kidnapping, to an area close to the border between Syria and Turkey, where the terrorists offered for the place of hostage exchange. Recognizing the hostage in Jordan had not came up to the border area, Islamic State brought Goto back to Raqqa and frequently moved him. Japanese government was so dependent on Jordan government in terms of negotiation over Goto that it seemed to have no power to handle the situation.

In the discussion of House of Representative Budget Committee, a legislator who had experiences in reconstructing operation in Golan Heights or Iraq as an officer of Japanese Self-defense Force, Masahisa Sato, requested Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to increase military attaché in Japanese embassies around Syria. “There is a kind of information that military would not like to tell to non-military person,” said Sato. Abe expressed his willingness to do that.

Increasing military attaché is not the fundamental answer for dealing with kidnapping by terrorist organization. Diplomacy is mainly exercised by diplomats. Crucial point was Japanese government did not grip the situation, in spite that Abe repeatedly emphasized utmost effort to rescue Goto. An expert said that diplomats in Middle East had been looking at Tokyo, leaving their job to broaden connection with people there.

Fighting terrorism is going to be a big slogan for Abe administration. Chief Cabinet Secretary, Yoshihide Suga, admitted that Japan had already been included in the coalition of fighting Islamic State, which was promoting airstrikes. While Japan is not involved in military operation or logistic support, Abe thinks that Japan is contributing to the coalition effort through humanitarian assistant to the refugees.

The government raised new conference called Headquarters for Promoting Measures against International Terrorism Including International Organizational Crime, which is simply a joint effort of police, immigration and diplomatic section. Bureaucrats love to create new organization with long name not only for appealing their performance, but also because they do not cooperate each other without official mandate of doing that.