[sushiman]

" If the Japanese police authorities had any brains, "

If they had an ounce of brains they'd be dangerous . Totally useless as you undoubtedly know . Japan definitely ripe for a terrorist attacks , and you know it is going to happen in Tokyo or Yokohama .

Generally speaking I think Caucasians in Japan are not looked upon as dangerous or suspicious .

[AmericanInTokyo]

If there is a concerted attack by some foreigners in Japan--even if just three or four of them--then I guarantee you Japan will no longer be a fun or interesting place to work, study or reside for ALL foreigners.

The whole archipelago will turn irretreivably xenophobic in a New York minute, the drawbridges of the Japanese mass psyche will go up immediately.

If it is North Koreans who do the shooting and bombing and gassing, you can expect a huge, violent backlash against ALL Northeast Asian foreigners in Japan: Chinese, Korean (both South and North), Taiwan, Mongolia.

The sleeping giant of paranoid xenophobia will have been fastidiously awakened. I wish the Japanese law enforcement and domestic intelligence authorities could anticipate this...but alas, I wish for a lot of things that don't come true.......

[hasegawasama]

You may be right about the ripe for terrorist attacks, but if it happened, Japan would quickly regroup and become a fierce foe to terrorism.