The transport ministry will begin to prohibit train passengers in Japan from boarding with unpacked knives starting next April under new security protocols following a fatal stabbing incident on a shinkansen bullet train back in June, according to a report by Japan Today.
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According to the Ministries of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism, train operators reserve the right to deny passengers entry into the facility in case of a violation. However, the effectiveness of the proposed new measures is still unclear as operators will NOT be handling or checking the baggage of passengers.
Passengers to be prohibited from Carrying Knives onto Trains in Japan
Based on the draft of the amended version of a ministry ordinance that regulates carry-on luggage, knives, hatchets, and other edged items will soon be included on the list of banned items inside train facilities. Carrying explosives and other flammable materials inside trains have already been disallowed.
On a similar note, the ministry has come up with measures to beef up train security since an incident with a man in his 20s had gone amok inside a Nozomi shinkansen bullet train headed or Shin-Osaka Station from Tokyo back in June, killing a 38-year old man and injuring two women in the process.
Since then, bullet train operators have added security personnel and patrols in train facilities. Also, operators have provided additional training for their staff in case such kinds of emergencies occur.
Moreover, shinkansen bullet train operators have installed additional surveillance cameras after a man burned himself to death inside a bullet train, killing a woman on board and injuring several others back in 2015.
This change is especially important not only because of the expected influx of tourists for the upcoming Tokyo Games, but also for the planned opening of the country to foreign workers starting April next year. Moreover, Japan has to keep their public transport systems safe and secure for all of its citizens as a standard of living in the country.