Japan considering anti-terror experiment at Tokyo railway station
- The exercise is planned for February at Kasumigaseki Station, which was attacked by the Aum Shinrikyo cult with nerve gas in 1995
The Japanese government is considering conducting luggage inspections at a Tokyo railway station as an experiment as it explores ways to strengthen public security before the 2020 Olympic Games, sources close to the matter said on Saturday.
The experiment is planned for February at Tokyo Metro’s Kasumigaseki Station, one of the busiest stations in Japan and which was attacked by the Aum Shinrikyo cult group with nerve gas in 1995. Around 150,000 passengers use the station every day.
Concerns about terror attacks on public transport infrastructure have also mounted after incidents on bullet trains in recent years.
In 2015, a self-immolation on a shinkansen bullet train killed a random passenger, and last year a man with a knife went on a rampage, killing one passenger and injuring two others.
The government hopes the planned experiment will help it identify potential problems with the measure then consider whether it is feasible.