Fight against terrorism must continue

TOKYO: Japanese Red Army leader Fusako Shigenobu, wanted by police for allegedly masterminding a number of international terrorist attacks in the 1970s and 1980s, was arrested Wednesday in Takatsuki, Osaka Prefecture.

In March, four members of the Red Army were deported from Lebanon and arrested by the Metropolitan Police Department. Does the arrest of Shigenobu, 55, following their capture, mean the end of the leftist terrorist organization?

It may still be too early to say so. Six cadres of the army, who are on international wanted lists, remain at large. Japan and concerned countries should continue to coordinate thorough investigations until the terrorist group is completely annihilated.

Shigenobu entered Lebanon in 1971, when activities of leftist students in Japan were becoming increasingly radical. She is suspected of playing a central role in a series of terrorist acts committed by the Japanese Red Army -- from a machine gun and grenade attack on Lod Airport in Tel Aviv in 1972 to a 1988 bombing incident in Naples, Italy.

In those incidents, about 130 people were killed or injured. The Japanese government was forced in 1975 and 1977 to free a total of 10 radicals and one murder suspect held in custody in exchange for the release of hostages the Red Army held. Japan has an duty as a member of the international community to clarify the details of those cases.

Shigenobu and other members of the Red Army found themselves pushed into a corner due to changes in the international political situation and by the investigative efforts of the international community, which refuses to make any concessions to terrorists.

The Red Army, which acted in concert with Palestinian militants and other radicals, established a military stronghold in the Bekka Valley in Lebanon, on the border with Syria. However, the Red Army was forced to withdraw from the valley because countries refused to recognize or support it after the Cold War ended and an agreement was made in 1993 to give tentative autonomy to the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and Jericho.

While hiding in Lebanon, Shigenobu and other members infiltrated countries in Eastern Europe, Asia and South America in attempts to set up new strongholds. However, they were captured one after another in those countries. It is obvious that the arrest and deportation of the four members in Lebanon dealt a critical blow to the organization.

The Group of Eight major countries and the United Nations also have played vital roles in isolating the Red Army by forming cooperative ties and signing conventions to eliminate international terrorism. Last year, for example, the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism was adopted.

The Red Army, which has lost its refuges in other countries, is now trying harder to infiltrate Japan. Every May, it sends a message to supporters in the country. A member was arrested in Japan after he secretly entered the country to try to form a support organization.

It appears that Shigenobu was arrested after infiltrating Japan on a similar mission. Police must find out how she entered the country, whether she has supporters and which group was sheltering her in this country.

Police also should investigate whether the six cadres still at large have already entered Japan. These militants took hostages at the Asama mountain resort in Nagano Prefecture and bombed Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd.'s office in Marunouchi, Tokyo. They reportedly have severed ties with Shigenobu, who recently has been pursuing a course of moderation.

An annual U.S. State Department report still lists the Japanese Red Army as one of 28 terrorist organizations in the world. The report points out that international terrorist organizations, which used to be very powerful, enjoying the support of some countries that sponsor terrorism, have begun transforming into loosely linked networks of individuals or small groups that make money by illegal means such as drug smuggling.

Despite international cooperation, international terrorism persists. About 300 terrorist acts are reported every year due to the increase of regional disputes triggered by domestic, ethnic and religious problems, in addition to Islamic fundamentalism.

Japan must step up international cooperation and make further contributions to wipe out international terrorism.

-- The Yomiuri Shimbun/Asia News Network