2004 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
A Study for Developing the Database of Bioterrorism and Relating Cases
| Project/Area Number |
14390052
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (B)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Research Field |
広領域
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| Research Institution | Asahi University |
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Principal Investigator |
SUGISHIMA Masaaki Asahi University, School of Law, Professor, 法学部, 教授 (90196725)
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| Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha) |
TSUNEISHI Kei-ichi Kanagawa University, School of Business, Professor, 経営学部, 教授 (00039786)
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| Project Period (FY) |
2002 – 2004
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| Keywords | bioterrorism / biological weapons / Unit 731 |
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| Research Abstract |
After the sarin incident and the indiscriminate murder utilizing the powdered Bacillus anthracis, the terrorism or the crime utilizing the weapons of mass destruction became no more an imaginary thing. This research project aims at collecting, compiling and analyzing cases relating to bioterrorism.
During the research period, Sugishima has looked into the failed bioterrorism plot of the Aum Shinirikyo, in which the cult attempted to use Bacillus anthracis as well as botulinum toxin. He also compared the Aum's bioterrorism with the attempt of the Rajneesh cult conducted in 1984 that caused 751 injuries. The Aum's failure suggests that there are several technical hurdles that bioterrorists should get over. In other words, if we hope to prevent bioterrorism, these hurdles must be made much higher.
On the other hand, Tsuneishi's research has been focusing in the Unit 731, the biological warfare unit of the Imperial Japanese Army. Recently, papers were found that were written by senior staffs of the Unit 731 on the food poisoning in Hamamatsu (1936) and the plague epidemic in China (1941). Unit 731 members conducted their investigation for these two cases bearing in mind the possibility of bioterrorism. Tsuneishi studied papers mentioned above, then clarified how Japanese bioweaponeers considered these outbreaks.
Based on case studies mentioned above, both researchers tried to draw lessons from these cases and considered implications for preparedness for possible bioterrorism.
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