Terrorism Promotes Crime of Conspiracy

The news was reported an explosion in a concert venue in Manchester, United Kingdom, in Monday morning. It was developed to be a suicide terrorist attack plotted by Islamic State. U.K. Prime Minister, Theresa May, announced the rise of alert level against terrorism to the highest level. Backed by people’s deep concern on terrorism, Shinzo Abe administration was successful in passing a bill in House of Representative with introduction of crime of conspiracy in the name of deterring terrorism.

U.K. police counted 22 deaths and 59 of the injured in the explosion, including children who were enjoying the concert of American singer, Ariana Grande. Media reported that the incident was suicide terrorism by a young man named Salman Abedi, 22, who were born in an immigrant family from Libya. Targeting a concert of American popular musician in Europe reminds of assault on American heavy metal band concert in Bataclan Theater in Paris in 2015.

Japanese TV and newspapers focused on the victims including children and teenagers to emphasize the tragedy. They reported the death of an elementary school kid who had been a big fan of Ariana Grande. As Grande had a major popularity in teenagers, the concert became a soft target for the terrorist. Mothers tried to protect their kids inside or outside of the concert venue.

The terrorist targeted the audience going out of the hall after the concert was ended, because security could be loosen. While security measures were tight for the audience at the entrance, terrorist could be sticking around outside of the building after the event was ended. Even video cameras set in the streets could not avoid the terrorism targeting soft targets.

Shinzo Abe administration has been announcing that no country in the world cannot escape from terrorist attacks, as a reasoning of enhancing security measures with reinterpretation of Constitution of Japan. Several hours after the arrival of the news of terrorism in U.K., the leading parties passed the bill of revised Organized Crime Punishment Law, which enable the police arrest the people before activating a crime.

Consecutive terrorisms overseas have been following wind of Abe administration, which tended to expand governmental power over ordinary people. But, every terrorism has a political message. Anti-terrorism measures have to include an idea how we can avoid being targeted. The uniqueness of security measures in Japan rests on the emphasis on giving arbitral power on the government, not studying what terrorism is about.