JR Tokai Conducts Drill to Fight Suspicious Person

August 23, 2018

Mishima, Shizuoka Pref.- Central Japan Railway Co. or JR Tokai, conducted on Wednesday a drill at a rail yard in Mishima, Shizuoka Prefecture, central Japan, to prepare for a suspicious person on a Shinkansen bullet train.

Protective equipment was used for the first time during the drill following a deadly stabbing rampage on a Tokaido Shinkansen bullet train in June.

Train crew members learned how to stop a suspicious person using protective shields and "sasumata" catching equipment.

During the drill, members of the Shizuoka prefectural police department's railway police explained how to use protective shields, knife-proof vests and sasumata.

The protective equipment will become available on all JR Tokai Shinkansen trains.

Using a scenario that a male passenger was yelling death threats and wielding a weapon, crew members shared information via an app, helped other passengers to evacuate and held the man using sasumata and other equipment.

"We aim to ensure the safety of passengers by improving skills," said Mamoru Tanaka, chief of Shinkansen operations at JR Tokai. Jiji Press