| On March 20, 1995, the Japanese religious sect Aum Shinrikyo staged a gas attack on the Tokyo subway. As a result of exposure to the poisonous substance sarin, 12 people died, over 5 thousand were injured, and about 3 thousand were left disabled. The leadership of the sect was convicted, and the sect itself was disbanded. The group has been on the US State Department's blacklist of terrorist organizations since 1998.
After the terrorist attack, the Japanese police became closely involved in the security of the subway. The subway was patrolled by tens of thousands of police. Suspicious passengers were detained, their documents were checked, and in case of the slightest suspicion they were taken to police stations. All the packages and bags left behind were picked up and delivered to the police stations. Increased security measures were in effect until the combat organization of the Aum Shinrikyo sect was liquidated.
Following the dispatch of Japanese troops to Iraq and reports that al-Qaeda was threatening to attack Japan for supporting the United States, the number of police in the Tokyo subway was again increased. True, there are now no people in uniform at subway stations; all police and security officers serve in civilian clothes, as Tokyo residents know. Without exception, all metro sections and stations are monitored by video cameras.
After the incident in the Tokyo subway, authorities in New York, Seoul and London introduced additional security measures on their subway lines. Transport companies around the world spend millions of dollars a year to improve safety systems. For example, the Washington version provides for equipping stations with a unique sensor system that responds to the presence of various chemicals in the air.
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