Police From Around Japan Deployed For Olympics
Police units from around Japan have been deployed to Tokyo to provide security, as there are just over three weeks to go until the Olympic Games start on July 23.
About 50 reinforcement officers attended a ceremony at the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department on Wednesday.
Riot squad chief Takamoto Katsutoshi from the Okayama prefectural police department in western Japan spoke on behalf of the reinforcement units. He declared that they are now under the command of the superintendent general of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department.
Tokyo police chief Saito Minoru noted that the Games will diverge from the initial plan, in that spectators will not be coming from overseas and the number of attendees from Japan will be limited.
But he said that games in the past have faced threats because they are a celebration of peace and draw international attention.
Saito instructed the reinforced units to communicate well, share information and stand firm in their resolve to make the Tokyo Games safe.
The Olympics and Paralympics will be held at 43 venues, mainly in Tokyo. The reinforced units will stand guard at and around the competition venues for the next two months.
In a related move, senior officials of the Tokyo Wangan Police Station held a meeting with members of the organizing committee of the Tokyo Games on Wednesday. The police station is located in the Tokyo Bay area, where many of the Games venues are situated.
The officials discussed security measures at competition venues and ways of responding to possible emergencies.
They say the police and the organizing committee will continue to cooperate closely to make sure that the Tokyo Games are safe.