Madrid bombing prompts Japan to tighten security

The pattern didn't change even after the September 11 terrorist attack in New York as politicians and decision makers didn't think what had happened in New York could have happen in Tokyo as well. As a result, life was running perfectly normal for Tokyoites as occasional patrol police were in rare cases seen halting suspicious foreigners and checking if their documents were in proper order. This from time to time resulted in arrest and deportation of those so called unlucky 'illegal souls' who had taken the same route as those of patrolling policemen due to sheer bad luck or mere coincident. But the Madrid bombing and subsequent developments have altered the scenario radically and armed policemen have now suddenly become ubiquitous in the Japanese capital. They are seen now keeping vigil at railway stations, busy intersections and entertainment and commercial districts, anticipating the possible repetition of what has happened in Spain only a week ago.

The Metropolitan Police Department first increased the number of duty policemen at important locations in Tokyo from 50 to 200 on March 13; a day after the Spanish attack was reported. The measure was a mere precautionary one as the authorities in Japan were yet to ascertain the claim of the Spanish government about the involvement of the Basque separatist group ETA in the attack. As a result, the initial report that a group claiming to be the al-Qaida terrorist network issued a warning that Japan was vulnerable to attack for being a close ally of America was not taken seriously. The Chief Cabinet Secretary Yasuo Fukuda told a news conference that the country had already done its utmost to guard against possible terrorist attacks.

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But everything later started changing as the Spanish incident proved to be the working of terrorists linked to al-Qaida and thus bringing devastating consequences for the ruling party whom the voters punished for trying to divert public attention from the facts. Observers were keen to see what effect the Madrid incident might have on Japan as the prime minister elect of Spain declared that the country would bring back its troops from Iraq by the end of July. They didn't have to wait long as Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi said he didn't think the Madrid bombing would have any immediate impact on Japan's deployment of Self-Defence Forces troops to Iraq. He also mentioned that the situation in Japan was different from Spain's and hinted that he would be closely monitoring the new Spanish administration's policy over Iraq.

The position that the mission in Iraq had been of different nature for Spain and Japan was later confirmed by high level government officials who mentioned that Japan's basic stance of providing support to humanitarian and reconstruction efforts in Iraq was not going to be affected by the result of the election in Spain. The involvement of al-Qaida in Madrid incident by then became clear and with that the government in Japan started taking the potential threat of similar attacks in Tokyo much more seriously. 450 riot police and transport police assisted by sniffing dogs trained to detect explosives have since then been put on duty at six major railway stations in Tokyo. Security is also being tightened on national railway lines, including the Shinkansen bullet trains.

The increased security measures at important locations of the Japanese capital, on the other hand, have raised concern of a large group of foreign nationals who are working in and around the metropolis without having proper documentation. They now fear that this could make their situation much more vulnerable as they risk being easily spotted and arrested. Moreover, as some official websites in Japan are running announcements urging citizens to inform the authorities of suspicious movement of foreign nationals in their localities, there is also a growing concern that the high security situation might be used as a ploy to find out and deport those who are overstaying their visas. This would no doubt satisfy Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara, who for quite sometime is blaming illegal foreign nationals for the deteriorating public order and security situation of the capital.

Meanwhile, A year after the start of the US-led war against Iraq, Japanese leadership has expressed determination to keep troops in the war-shattered country despite growing fear that the terrorists might strike Japan both at home and abroad. A day before the anniversary, the Japanese prime minister told reporters that the fight against terrorism would take long and he denied that doubts over the legitimacy of the war was growing among countries that have once stood by the United States.

But whatever the prime minister says, public opinion in Japan doesn't seem to be buying the explanation the government is providing. A poll conducted by the major daily Asahi Shimbun earlier this month found 66 percent of the respondents said the United States had no legitimate reason to attack Iraq, while 19 percent said it did.

But over the issue of Japan's Self-Defence Forces in Iraq, the public opinion in the country is almost evenly divided as 42 percent of respondents supported the dispatch while 41 percent opposed it. As for reconstruction of Iraq, the principal purpose the government sighted for the dispatch of troops, only 15 percent of the respondents said progress has been made while 74 percent said they didn't see any progress.

And in another front, like many other nations around the world, Japan also saw its share of protest rallies and marches marking the first anniversary of US-led war against Iraq. Tokyo witnessed three main events organised by different groups and coalitions. But people's reluctance to join street demonstrations despite showing a strong sense of opposition and an unusually cold and rainy weekend have made the task difficult for the organisers to attract people in gatherings that could have matched similar events held in many other cities around the world.