In the near future, it may become illegal for people to openly conspire to commit murder -- let alone follow through with the act or set the wheels in motion.
This will be the case, experts worry, if the Justice Ministry manages to get an amendment attached to the 1999 Law for Punishment of Organized Crimes, Control of Crime Proceeds and Other Matters.
The ministry says the new provision is necessary for Japan to ratify a U.N. convention on cross-border organized crime, and it would only apply to "criminal organizations."