Japanese government to conduct body scanning experiment at subway station in Tokyo
The Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism plans to conduct an experiment to scan passengers’ bodies at a Tokyo subway station next month as part of efforts to strengthen security following a fatal attack on a bullet train last year.
The experiment will be conducted at Tokyo Metro’s Kasumigaseki Station, one of the busiest stations in Japan, using a body scanner at one or two of the ticket gates between March 4 and 7 and seven hours a day including rush hours to monitor objects hidden under clothing, according to the ministry, japantoday.com reported.
Concerns about attacks on public transportation systems have increased after incidents on bullet trains in recent years, while the Japanese government explores ways to strengthen public security in the run-up to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympics.
People who do not wish to take part in the experiment can use other ticket gates, the ministry said. Around 150,000 passengers use the station daily.
The scanning process does not require passengers to stop or go through a luggage check, according to the ministry.
“We are studying various ways of inspections including methods involving other devices, and (the upcoming experiment) will be the first one. We may conduct more experiments on other methods,” a ministry official said.
The ministry will try to see if the scanner can detect mock knives and explosives without interrupting the flow of passengers.
The ministry is seeking to introduce tighter security measures on railway systems and has decided to ban unwrapped knives on trains from April.
The experiment at the subway station will be run by security service firm Sohgo Security Services Co., which is known as ALSOK.