Security tightened in Tokyo for Obama's visit

Thursday 12th November, 01:58 PM JST

TOKYO —

The Metropolitan Police Department on Thursday set up a task force to oversee security in the capital for U.S. President Barack Obama’s scheduled visit on Friday and Saturday.

A total of 16,000 personnel, including some 5,500 members of riot police squads, will be deployed in preparation for possible demonstrations and sabotage by radical groups, as well as for controlling traffic.

“Strengthening security as a matter of course, we will implement full-scale preparations for the president’s visit,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirofumi Hirano told reporters.

Obama arrives Friday afternoon on a whirlwind visit before heading to a Singapore summit.

It will be the highest level of security since Japan hosted a summit of the Group of Eight major economies on northern Hokkaido island in July last year, when around 20,000 police were deployed in Tokyo alone.

Police have set up checkpoints near the U.S. embassy to inspect suspicious vehicles, while anti-riot police were patroling near Tokyo’s Yokota Air Base, where an explosive device was reportedly found last month.

Police have sealed off manhole covers and put extra officers on duty at subway stations, which were targeted by a doomsday cult using nerve gas in 1995 in an attack that killed 12 people and injured thousands.

Demonstrators plan to stage a rally Friday and march near the U.S. embassy and the prime minister’s office against the U.S. military presence on the southern island of Okinawa, a contentious issue between Tokyo and Washington.

Hirano said the government had received no information indicating a security threat but was taking precautionary measures. “We have taken action, but it has not been based on any information about terrorism,” he said.

Obama is to hold talks with Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama Friday evening and have lunch with the emperor at the Imperial Palace on Saturday before departing for Singapore to attend this year’s Asia-Pacific summit.

Wire reports

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Latest 15 of 33 Total Comments Show All

my2sense at 07:36 PM JST - 12th November

nothing.
NationalistRE at 08:12 PM JST - 12th November

I am glad I do not pay American taxes to support my US bases here. Messed up. Good luck foreigners for the next two days.

For knowing that the Japanese taxpayers are keeping the US forces here, I take that you are an intelligent person as opposed to nincompoops in your country who thinks the Japanese people are getting a free lunch in national security. I feel sorry for you becoming a victim of racial profiling by Japanese police.
Hirota56 at 08:32 PM JST - 12th November

Mr.Yelnats: Let's not make a racial issue out of such a thing. Cops all over the world are just doing their jobs. A racial and a religious war is a nightmare. We all have to get along in this increasingly, small global community. Last thing we need is an agitator.
USNinJapan2 at 08:56 PM JST - 12th November

What a pain in the ass this POTUS visit is. All the precautions Japan-wide for us are ridiculous. I want my parking space at work back!
NationalistRE at 09:11 PM JST - 12th November

I want my parking space at work back!

You'll get your parking space back soon enough, much to the chagrin of most reasonable Japanese.
USNinJapan2 at 09:39 PM JST - 12th November

NationalistRE

...much to the chagrin of most reasonable Japanese.

What do you mean?
Sarge at 10:22 PM JST - 12th November

"lunch with the emperor at the Imperial palace"

I'll bet it won't be katsudon or kare raisu.
Goodguy at 10:24 PM JST - 12th November

Where did all the extra police come from? Are they pulling double shifts?
BurakuminDes at 12:37 AM JST - 13th November

Demonstrators plan to stage a rally Friday and march near the U.S. embassy and the prime minister’s office against the U.S. military presence on the southern island of Okinawa, a contentious issue between Tokyo and Washington.

It sounds terrible to suggest it, but it it possible the J-Police are fearful of some Okinawan groups planning an attack against President Obama? It seems they are leaving no stone unturned with 16,000 cops deployed - Tokyo will be in lockdown, and - dare I say it - people flying in from Okinawa are going to be very closely shadowed by men in suits and dark glasses.

Wouldn't want to be an Okinawan in Tokyo in the next few days!
eigonosensei at 01:44 AM JST - 13th November

thepaceisglacia - "What alternative to democracy do you support?"

A Constitutional Republic is better than a democracy.

A democracy is two wolves and a sheep deciding what's for dinner. A CR is the same as a democracy but the sheep has RIGHTS and so is protected from the wolves. For example, the 2nd Amendment protects the sheep's rights to have a gun to keep the wolves in line.
Kapuna at 03:06 AM JST - 13th November

So eigonosensei, where are these Constitutional Republic(s) and how are they doing?
GJDailleult at 01:52 PM JST - 13th November

On the bright side it should make for a safe weekend for bicycles and reduce the number of bicycle kidnapings here in Tokyo for a couple of days.
Yelnats at 02:44 PM JST - 13th November

For knowing that the Japanese taxpayers are keeping the US forces here, I take that you are an intelligent person as opposed to nincompoops in your country who thinks the Japanese people are getting a free lunch in national security.

Wrong. The Japanese pay for the buildings and infrastructure on the bases and Japanese troops sharing the bases. They do not pay for the US military ,civilian personnel and the billions of dollars in hardware. American tax payers do that. I worked on the bases for years.
Okinawamike at 03:10 PM JST - 13th November

"Wouldn't want to be an Okinawan in Tokyo in the next few days"!

We are not coming there, to damn cold!
roomtemperature at 07:52 PM JST - 13th November

Yelnats, just get your surfboard. You know how THAT works. About US bases in Japan? It's obvious you don't have a clue. So stop pretending.