Amnesty International referred to Japan's recently enacted legislation targeting Aum Shinrikyo and a law authorizing wiretapping by police as human-rights concerns, in its annual report released Wednesday.
"There were concerns that these laws could be arbitrarily used by police against peaceful activists," said the London-based, human-rights watchdog.
Last December, the Diet enacted a set of laws aimed at controlling activities of organizations that had committed "indiscriminate mass murder during the past 10 years." Under the laws, Aum Shinrikyo, the cult that has renamed itself Aleph, was placed earlier this year under tight surveillance and must undergo regular inspections of its facilities.