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Japan police

call for upgrade

to fight gas attacks

TOKYO: Japan's police force said on Tuesday it needed improved equipment and better training to effectively tackle any repeat of the March nerve-gas attack on a Tokyo subway that killed 11 people.

The force's annual review of operations described the Sarin gas attack as a crime "unprecedented in Japan's criminal history".

The report said the attack, linked to the doomsday cult Aum Shinri Kyo (Aum Supreme Truth Sect), went far beyond the scope of conventional crimes.

It said investigators needed special scientific knowledge and expertise to get to the bottom of such crimes.

"The police forces must be able to meet any emergency," according to the 1995 Police White Paper, which was approved by the Japanese cabinet.

The Aum Shinri Kyo has been accused of a wave of gas attacks, including the March incident in which 11 people died and more than 5,500 fell sick.

Sect leader Shoko Asahara and many of his top disciples have been indicted on murder and attempted murder charges for the attacks.

The report said police were not adequately equipped to deal with the nerve-gas attacks, adding that they should have equipment such as gas masks and poison-gas detectors readily available.

The police will submit its annual budget request for the next fiscal year in the next few days following the submission of its White Paper, which is routinely approved by the cabinet.-Reuter