Police detect 889 threatening posts ahead of Upper House poll
The report also showed that 140 cutting tools, such as box cutters and scissors, were found through baggage screenings and metal detector checks conducted at almost all speech venues. But all the tools were for work and study, and no one was arrested.
In response to a series of attacks by so-called lone offenders in recent years, including the fatal shooting of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, which occurred while he was giving a stump speech in 2022, the NPA set up the first-ever center for integrating threat information regarding such offenders ahead of the Upper House election. Lone offenders carry out terrorist attacks without belonging to groups based on political ideology or religious beliefs.
The center took charge of analyzing posts on social media or online bulletin boards as well as information about suspicious persons, with the aim of preventing crimes and reinforcing security.
The NPA confirmed the 889 threatening posts through cyber patrol and also thanks to reports from the public between June 16 and Saturday.
The agency then took countermeasures according to the urgency of each case. For example, a man in his 40s from Chiba Prefecture was identified after repeatedly posting on July 13 at former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida's official account on X, formerly Twitter, that he would be killed if he came to deliver a speech, and the Chiba prefectural police contacted the man on the same day.
"Although it turned out that there was no case with a realistic threat, sharing information helped us to take effective countermeasures," an NPA official said. The agency plans to take similar steps for future elections.
Security operations were conducted for around 900 events ahead of the Upper House poll, including speech meetings, half of which were held indoors due to the intense heat or at the request of police.
Ahead of last year's election for the House of Representatives, the lower chamber, some 30 dangerous items were discovered through security checks. The number increased this time as inspections have become well established, and the efficiency of the organizers has improved, the agency official said.
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