Photo/Illutration The Metropolitan Police Department’s headquarters in Tokyo’s Chiyoda Ward (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

Tokyo’s Metropolitan Police Department will set up a new unit in spring dedicated to preventing terrorist attacks by lone offenders, sources said.

The envisioned team, focusing on “lone wolf” actors who do not belong to any specific organization, will be the first of its kind in Japan.

The MPD intends to share information with other prefectural police departments as necessary.

“We will be dealing with threats while cooperating with citizens and other entities in the private sector as well,” said an MPD executive.

The reorganization follows attacks on the Liberal Democratic Party’s headquarters and the prime minister’s office during the Lower House election in October and the fatal shooting of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2022.

Warning signs of impending attacks by lone offenders are said to be increasingly difficult for police to identify.

“We need to take action against emerging threats,” said an MPD representative.

The MPD plans to establish “the No. 3 public safety unit” within its Public Security Bureau as the central hub for thwarting lone offenders. It is expected to have dozens of staff members.

Working with other law enforcement bodies, the No. 3 unit will gather and analyze data on suspicious individuals based on citizens’ reports and criminal investigations.

It will also conduct background checks on individuals who purchase materials for explosives, aiming to detect early signs of possible bomb attacks.

The MPD is also considering collaborating with other prefectural police departments by, for example, monitoring and sharing suspicious posts and accounts on social media.

According to the Public Security Bureau, past terrorists would commonly join extremist groups to learn methods for producing and using weapons. However, easier access to weapon-making techniques online has enabled a rise in attacks by lone perpetrators.

As part of the reorganization, the No. 1 public safety section, which is responsible for tracking the Chukaku-ha far-left revolutionary group, notorious for its guerrilla activities, and the No. 2 public safety section, which oversees the Kakumaru-ha extremist group, will be merged into the newly established No. 1 public safety unit.

The current No. 3 public safety section, which deals with rightist organizations, will be renamed the No. 2 public safety unit.

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