Hundreds Of Schools In Japan Got Bomb Threat Letters Via Fax

Illustration of an empty school in Japan (Photo of Hiroyoshi Urushima on Unsplash)

JAKARTA - Japanese police are chasing someone who sent bomb and murder threats to hundreds of schools. Evacuation and school closures were forced.

Quoting from BBC, Thursday, January 26, the threat was sent via fax to high schools and universities earlier this week from a number registered in Tokyo.

After searching, the police confirmed that no explosives were found in the school buildings. There were also no reports of attacks on students and staff.

Bomb threats are rare in Japan, which is known for its low crime rate.

The first wave of messages started on Monday, reaching schools and universities across the country. Even in one prefecture, Saitama, more than 170 schools received bomb threats.

Local media reported that one message claimed that more than 330 bombs had been planted, while another read: "I planted a big bomb."

Police illustration in Japan (Photo by Adrien Bruneau on Unsplash)

Some reports say the messages demand ransoms ranging from 300,000 yen to 3 million yen.

On Tuesday, messages threatening to kill students and teachers with homemade guns were sent from the same number to high schools in various prefectures including Osaka, as well as Saitama and Ibaraki near Tokyo.

The threat led to many schools in Japan closing as a precaution, although most had reopened on Thursday.