Topic: Measures to Prevent Terrorists from Acquiring Weapons of Mass Destruction
Country: Japan
Delegate Name: Charlie Drew
School: Saginaw Arts and Sciences Academy
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Japan position papers GLIMUN 2013 committees
On March 20, 1995, the cult/terrorist organization Aum Shinrikyo released sarin gas in five Tokyo subway lines in five coordinated attacks. It was the most significant attack to occur in Japan since the dropping of the atomic bombs at the end of World War II. The attack resulted in twelve deaths and more than 5,000 other injuries, seventeen of which were deemed critical and thirty-seven others severe. Those responsible were promptly arrested, and the leader, Shoko Asahara, was sentenced to death and is currently awaiting his execution. In 2000, the group, which changed its name to Aleph, was placed under close surveillance by the authorities for four years. The group is still considered by authorities to be a threat to society.
Despite the severity of the attacks, it could have been much, much worse. An article published in the New York Times following the attacks revealed that Aum's chemical stockpile could have created enough nerve gas to kill 4.2 to 10 million people. The group owned a large production plant called Satyan 7 which was designed to produce seventy tons of the nerve agent. Several sources speculated the plant may have come from Russia, and a senior Aum member testified in court in 1997 that Aum obtained the design for the sarin plant from a Russian source, and that the group donated 10 million yen to secretary of the Russian Security Council, Oleg Lobov.
All this considered, Japan believes that not only should terrorist acquisition of weapons of mass destruction from internal stocks or other countries be considered, but also terrorist production of chemical weapons, as it potentially be an equally significant threat due to the convenience of supply. For example, monitoring the sale of potentially dangerous chemicals would help prevent anyone who would use them for harm from acquiring enough to do harm.
