Japan Beefs Up Security Ahead of G7 Summit

The Yomiuri Shimbun

16:28 JST, May 12, 2023

Police have increased security at various locations, including airports and major train stations, ahead of the Group of Seven summit to be held in Hiroshima on May 19-21.

They have increased patrols of so-called soft targets, which are defined as places that are easily accessible to large numbers of the general public.

Many uniformed officers patrolled Tokyo’s Haneda Airport on Friday, checking trash cans for suspicious items and scanning the runways with binoculars.

When a summit was held in Britain in 2005, terrorist attacks took place in London — about 600 kilometers from the venue.

“Any place in Japan could be a target,” said a senior police official. “[Police] nationwide will be on high alert.”