The Upper House on Friday passed a toughened law on preventing terrorism funding that makes harboring terrorists or supplying them with weapons punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
The amended law, which could take effect as early as next month, follows international calls on Japan for stiffer legal punishments in terrorism-related cases.
The measure found support in the Upper House from the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its coalition ally, Komeito, as well as the main opposition Democratic Party of Japan among others.
The Lower House passed it earlier this month.
The original law penalized funding alone. The revised legislation expands the range of unlawful acts to include providing "land, buildings, goods and services" with the aim of facilitating acts of terrorism. Such acts are subject to a maximum 10 years in prison or a fine of up to ¥10 million under the amended law.
The scope of punishable people is expanded from "primary" partners to secondary collaborators. A secondary actor can face up to five years in prison or a fine of as much as ¥5 million. A person judged to have cooperated with a secondary collaborator will also face a maximum of two years in prison or a fine of up to ¥2 million.
The government initially introduced the amendment in March 2013 after the Financial Action Task Force, an intergovernmental entity working to combat terrorism funding, called for enhancements in Japans legal framework.
The Upper House is also deliberating another bill on special measures to freeze international terrorist assets. That bill has already made it through the Lower House.