"Big Brother in the form of an increasingly powerful government and in an increasingly powerful private sector will pile the records high with reasons why privacy should give way to national security, to law and order ... and the like." — U.S. Supreme Court Justice William Douglas, 1970

The recent passage of a bill criminalizing the planning and preparation of at least 277 different crimes was so contentious in both Japan and abroad that there were questions about what to call it.

Politicians, including Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his government, jurists, bureaucrats and some media often referred to it as "anti-terrorism" legislation, and agreed with the premise put forth by Abe that it was needed to strengthen efforts to prevent terrorist attacks, especially as the government prepares for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.