Tuesday, April 27, 2004
Japan to X-ray shoes at airports
Agence France-Presse Tokyo, April 27
Japan on Tuesday joined the US and European nations in X-raying passengers' shoes at airports as it boosted anti-terrorism measures ahead of a peak holiday travel season.
The transport ministry issued a package of measures in response to recent incidents including the March 11 train bombings in Madrid and the abductions of five Japanese nationals in Iraq.
"We will step up anti-terrorism measures and stay alert even if it causes some inconvenience to the people," Land, Infrastructure and Transport Minister Nobuteru Ishihara told a news conference.
British Muslim convert Richard Reid tried to blow up an American Airlines flight from Paris to Miami with explosives hidden in his shoes in December 2001. He is serving a life term in a US jail.
Hundreds of thousands of Japanese are planning overseas breaks during the so-called "Golden Week" peak holiday period starting Thursday.
"There is an increasing danger of our country becoming the target of terrorism," the ministry said in a statement. "We will strictly enforce new enhanced measures ahead of the Golden Week which is a period of heavy traffic."
As part of the measures, bins will be removed from some public places so bombs cannot be hidden inside, while public transport users will be advised to be on the alert for "suspicious objects" and patrols will be stepped up.
"We will advise travelers to arrive at airports 30 to 60 minutes earlier than usual to prepare for random X-ray checks on shoes," an official at the ministry's risk management office said.
"It is the first time for such checks to be carried out in Japan. It will be indefinitely continued beyond the Golden Week," he said.
The Philippines last week said it had stopped individually inspecting passengers' shoes and was installing metal detectors for footwear at its international airports.
© Hindustan Times Ltd. 2004.