Japan has increased its terrorism alert status ahead of the G7 summit, which begins on 26 May. Security has been raised to unprecedented levels, with thousands of extra police deployed to the capital, Tokyo, as well as other parts of the country. The government has said that it is taking no chances with security following the Paris and Brussels terrorist attacks, as it plans to welcome the leaders of the world’s richest nations. In Tokyo, rubbish bins have been removed, coin-operated lockers blocked, electronic message boards at train stations are calling on passengers to be on the lookout for suspicious activity, and there is better monitoring of ‘soft targets’. In addition, work on decommissioning the Masahito Kanetaka nuclear power plant has been suspended to “minimize the risk of incidents” that could divert the authorities’ attention.
Japan has increased its terrorism alert status ahead of the G7 summit, which begins on 26 May. Security has been raised to unprecedented levels, with thousands of extra police deployed to the capital, Tokyo, as well as other parts of the country. The government has said that it is taking no chances with security following the Paris and Brussels terrorist attacks, as it plans to welcome the leaders of the world’s richest nations. In Tokyo, rubbish bins have been removed, coin-operated lockers blocked, electronic message boards at train stations are calling on passengers to be on the lookout for suspicious activity, and there is better monitoring of ‘soft targets’. In addition, work on decommissioning the Fukushima nuclear power plant has been suspended to “minimize the risk of incidents” that could divert the authorities’ attention.