High-Tech Security Installed for Tokyo Marathon

High-Tech Security Installed for Tokyo Marathon

  • By Sydny Shepard
  • Mar 01, 2016

Officials decided to beef up security surrounding the Tokyo Marathon on Feb. 28 in response to the Boston Marathon bombing the year before that killed three people and injured around 150 others and the attacks in Paris that claimed the lives of over 100 people. New security methods, including the use of facial recognition and drones, were employed to help the race go smoothly this year.

Major security firm Secom Co. offered its face authentication system for the event. The system takes photos of competitors’ faces and their numbers at the entrance gate and checks them against photos registered in advance. It was used on about 900 runners, or about 2.5 percent of the competitors.

A Secom airship also flew above the finish line where it took aerial photos that it provided to the Metropolitan Police Department. Other images were provided to MPD via drones that flew above the course throughout the marathon.

Tokyo police had several interceptor drones on standby designed to capture any suspicious flying objects that entered the area. It was the first time the Tokyo Marathon had been aerially monitored for security purposes.

The Tokyo Police also employed officers to run alongside the competitors and an emergency response team armed with submachine guns in case of an attack.

About the Author

Sydny Shepard is the Executive Editor of Campus Security & Life Safety.

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