Security tightened at Narita airport after foiled attack on U.S. plane

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NARITA, Japan, Dec. 27 Kyodo -
Narita airport, crowded with travelers departing overseas for the year-end
holidays, tightened security Sunday following a foiled terror attack on a
flight from Amsterdam to Detroit.
Airlines operating flights to U.S. destinations began to implement tighter
security measures, with Japan Airlines and All Nippon Airways conducting body
checks on passengers at boarding gates, a step that is not usually taken.
JAL and ANA also began to open and examine all carry-on items at boarding.
The operator of Narita airport, east of Tokyo, has asked passengers to start
boarding procedures earlier than usual.
''I came earlier than usual because I read a newspaper article that security
would be tightened,'' said Katsunori Sakai, a 57-year-old dentist from Tokyo's
Fuchu city traveling to Las Vegas with his family. ''It can't be avoided for
safety.''
A 73-year-old woman from Wako, Saitama Prefecture, traveling to the United
States to meet her son, said, ''I was surprised with the tight security.''
A Nigerian man believed to be linked to the al-Qaida terrorist network set off
a small explosion aboard a Delta-Northwest Airlines flight to Detroit on
Friday. The plane, which was carrying 278 passengers, landed safely.
Following the incident, the U.S. Transport Security Administration asked JAL
and ANA to conduct inspections of all passengers prior to boarding, including
body checks.
Japan's transport ministry has also instructed domestic air carriers to carry
out full security inspections of passengers on both domestic and international
flights.
At Japanese airports, travelers must pass through metal detectors but are not
necessarily body searched.
==Kyodo