Nearly 29,000 security personnel will be mobilized as part of extensive antiterrorism measures to ensure the safety of players and fans at the 2019 Rugby World Cup, which kicks off Friday evening when Japan plays Russia at Tokyo Stadium.
Twenty teams will compete at the World Cup, which runs through Nov. 2 and features 48 matches at 12 venues across Japan, including Tokyo, Aichi, Osaka and Fukuoka prefectures. About 9,100 police officers and about 20,000 security personnel will be deployed at the tournament, during which about 500,000 people are expected to visit Japan.
Security personnel will check bags at inspection areas near entrances to the stadiums. The tournament's organizing committee has prohibited spectators from taking even unopened plastic bottles of drink into stadiums, due to concerns they could be used to carry the ingredients for explosives. Completely banning plastic bottles from being taken into the stadium of an international event is an unusual step.
Officers and dogs from the Metropolitan Police Department will patrol Tokyo Stadium, which will be the venue for eight matches, including the opening game and quarterfinals. An elite Emergency Response Team armed to shoot terrorists, and a bomb disposal unit, will be stationed nearby and poised to react to any contingency.
Security will be especially tight in the area stretching about 500 meters from the stadium to the nearest station, To-bitakyu Station on the Keio Line. Many spectators are expected to converge here. The latest anti-crime "last mile camera" system, which features high-performance, 360-degree security cameras, has been installed to allow the police to watch for suspicious people and check places where people could potentially be knocked down if there is a sudden influx of spectators.
Tournament-related vehicles also will be inspected when entering the stadium, and their trunks and other parts checked for suspicious items. Police vehicles and roadblocks will be placed at intersections to create a protective barrier that will prevent vehicle-ramming attacks like those that have occurred in Europe.
Drones will be used to keep an eye on the crowd from the sky. In August 2018, drones carrying explosives detonated in midair near the Venezuelan president as he gave a speech. The MPD has deployed a unit equipped with nets to capture suspicious drones and will use jamming devices to block radio communications controlling a drone's movement. Flying drones is prohibited, in principle, near World Cup venues and Fanzones, where the public can watch games on huge screens.
"We'll clamp down on any violations," an investigative source said.
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