In January1997,the government established within the Cabinet the Headquarters for the Promotion of Measures against Drug Abuse, in light of the seriousness of recent drug problems. A Platform for the Promotion of Measures against Drug Abuse, developed in April of the same year, called for tighter control and strict dispositions, the promotion of activities to raise awareness among the population, the enhancement of treatment for drug abusers, etc. , and the promotion of international cooperation, among others things. Furthermore, a Five-Year Strategy to Prevent Drug Abuse was prepared in May1998as a long-term comprehensive program.
  Drug abuse has also become a serious problem in other countries. An agreement on international cooperation against drug offenses was reached at the Birmingham Summit in May1998. The special session of the United Nations General Assembly on world drug problems, held in June of the same year, adopted various declarations and resolutions for the promotion of measures against money laundering and judicial cooperation concerning traffic in narcotics and other illegal drugs(see Part2,Section6-2 ).
  In February2000,the Law Concerning the Punishment of Organized Crime, Regulation of Earnings from Crime, etc. ,(Law No.136of1999)came into effect to take proper measures against organized crime, including illicit traffic in drugs and firearms by organized crime groups. For the same purpose, the Law Concerning Wiretapping for Criminal Investigation(Law No.137of1999)also came into effect in August. The Law Concerning the Punishment of Organized Crime, Regulation of Earnings from Crime, etc. , provides for aggravated punishment for certain types of organized crime;an expansion of the scope of punishable primary offenses from drug offenses to certain serious offenses;the punishment of activities designed to gain control of corporations or other businesses using criminal earnings and money laundering activities, including the concealment, acceptance, etc. , of such earnings;the confiscation of criminal earnings, etc. , collection of the equivalent amount to be confiscated, and a protection scheme for such purposes;and a system of notification for suspicious transactions. The Law Concerning Wiretapping for Criminal Investigation is intended to facilitate fact-finding on offenses committed in an organized or hidden manner, as well as coping with situations in which the clearance of ringleaders is difficult. It covers drug-related offenses, firearm-related offenses, smuggling of immigrants in groups, and organized homicide, and stipulates strict requirements, procedures, etc. , for tapping telecommunications related to the perpetration of offenses, based on warrants issued by judges.