| Japan intensified security at airports, nuclear plants and government facilities Friday as a precaution against a possible terror attack, a National Police Agency official said. The official refused to discuss whether the government had new information about a possible terror strike, but said this was the highest level of preparedness since the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in March 2003. Japan does not have clear levels of alert like in the United States. During the heightened alert, riot police armed with automatic rifles will guard Tokyo and Kansai international airports and nuclear power and reprocessing facilities, the official said. He would not disclose how many officers were added. "We are going to beef up security at key facilities," the official said. The heightened security came after an apparent attempt to fire projectiles at Japan’s Defense Agency on Tuesday. Two loud blasts were heard near the agency; police later found two projectile launchers. There were no injuries or damage, but local media reported that a leftist group opposed to Japan’s dispatch of troops on a humanitarian mission to Iraq had claimed responsibility. |