Prime Minister Shinzo Abe told a meeting of senior members of the ruling coalition Thursday that the government plans to submit a bill to criminalize conspiracy during the Diet session beginning later this month, according to an attendee.

The bill would aim to enhance Japan's ability to ward off terrorism connected to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said.

Initiatives to add a conspiracy charge to the existing law on organized crime have floundered in the past amid concerns it could encourage invasive state surveillance and allow investigators to arbitrarily punish people who have not committed any crime.