In response to repeated international calls, the government is preparing legislation to restrict the financial transactions of people suspected of involvement in terrorist activities and to effectively freeze their assets.

Japan must not shy away from efforts to eradicate terrorism such as shutting down the flow of money that funds the activities of terror groups. But the government should remove any ambiguity from the definition of "terrorists" in order to dispel concerns about the possible risk of discretionary labeling by investigative authorities.

The Abe administration is expected to submit a relevant bill to the current Diet session by the end of November. Legislation reportedly under consideration will mainly target people and organizations in Japan designated as terrorists on the basis of United Nations Security Council resolutions.