Chemical_Weapons

Chemical Weapons Title (Chemical Weapons): Terrorist Use of Chemical Weapons in the World Special Issue: The Tokyo Subway Attack on 20 March 1995 Introduction: Japan has long enjoyed the enviable reputation of being one of the safest nations in the world. The country has one of the world lowest rates for murder and other violent crime, and the Japanese National Police Agency and local Police forces are often praised as a model of law enforcement efficiency. Tokyo enjoys one of the cleanest, safest and most efficient subway networks in the world. Trains run on precise schedules and accommodate 2.7 billion passengers a year. All that changed on March 20, 1995. A nightmare unfolded as the city of Tokyo experienced one of the worst terrorist attacks of the century. This is what many considered to be the first true case of use of chemical agents by terrorists in a major attack on civilians. On the morning of 20 March 1995, small containers described by eyewitnesses as being wrapped in newspaper and covered with clear plastic bags about the size of lunch box were placed on five trains running on three major lines of the Tokyo subway system (Marunouchi, Chiyoda, and Hibiya). The trains were tokyo, attack, subway, 1995, sarin, police, one, gas, been, japan, chemicals, chemical, after, two, later, station, shinri, report, march, kyo, days, containers, world, weapons, trains, times, through, system, people, officers, just, international, incident, government, cases, authorities