-Caveat Lector- from: http://www.aci.net/kalliste/ Click Here: <A HREF="http://www.aci.net/kalliste/">The Home Page of J. Orlin Grabbe</A> ----- Year 2000 Bombs and Y2K Frighten Japan A feeling something is going to happen. TOKYO - A series of small fires and homemade explosive devices found in trains and train stations has added to the unease in Japan about the upcoming millennial change. Commuters bustled between trains Tuesday with the blare of loudspeakers broadcasting warnings to be cautious, past coin-lockers and trash cans that were sealed to eliminate hiding places for bombs. In the last five days, two small incendiary devices have exploded in train stations, slightly injuring one man, and three arson fires were set simultaneously under the seats of trains, causing delays. The incidents and the warnings they brought came on the heels of the government's mixed messages about possible technological turmoil from Year 2000 computer problems. Officials insist that the country is ready for Y2K. But they have told people to stockpile food and water, and have placed 96,000 troops on call for New Year's Eve, including teams trained to handle nuclear and chemical accidents. More than 106,000 police officers also will be on duty. The extraordinary call to manpower and the rash of train incidents has spooked some residents. ''I feel, undeniably, that something will happen,'' said Masao Ikeda, 65, standing next to closed coin lockers in a Tokyo subway station. ''First, there's the Y2K problem itself. Then there are some criminals who would seize the opportunity to do something and make it look like Y2K.'' ''Politically motivated guerrilla groups still are around,'' agreed Yoshikazu Adachi, 28, another commuter. ''It's kind of scary.'' Authorities said they did not know who left the explosives, which were apparently packed in small Styrofoam balls. But they said they thought the fires were set by opponents to the construction of a second runway at Narita Airport, a controversy that has raged and ebbed for decades. One of the explosive devices was found by a locker attendant Monday morning at Urawa station, just north of Tokyo. Two of his fingers were injured when the device went off as he moved it. Another small bomb exploded Friday in a bin at a train depot, after it was apparently swept up with trash No one was injured. On Sunday, three fires broke out under the seats of trains serving Narita airport, causing delays but no injuries. In addition to cautions issued at home, the Foreign Ministry warned that Japanese living abroad and Japanese-affiliated companies should be wary about ''becoming entangled'' in terrorist incidents abroad. The warnings are echoed in the press. The Sankei Shimbun noted in an editorial Tuesday that even extra manpower ''cannot oversee all the crowded trains and terminals that will be packed with travelers, and the temples and shrines that several million people will visit.'' Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi seeking to show that his government is in control of Y2K events, has appeared in TV ads, unusual for a Japanese premier. But even these messages have been ambiguous. ''We don't think any big disruptions will take place, but it is important to be prepared for the worst,'' Mr. Obuchi said in the spot ad, a mock press conference. The commercial urges people to stockpile two to three days' worth of water and food. Both the central government and the Tokyo metropolitan government are setting up special disaster prevention headquarters that will monitor events. Mr. Obuchi plans to spend New Year's Eve there, and has scheduled a live televised event for a few minutes after midnight, in which he hopes to tell the nation that all went smoothly. Corporate chiefs are also weighing in. The president of Japan Airlines has said he will be in the air at midnight to show that air travel is safe, and the chairman of the Bank of Japan will be at his post, along with 600 other central bank employees, to encourage confidence in the financial sector. But private industry has ordered hundreds of thousands of employees to report to work on New Year's Eve just in case there is trouble. Hotels and meal delivery services are doing brisk business. Despite its reliance on technology, Japan was slow to respond to the potential Y2K dangers. But the government has put on a crash course this year to adapt its systems to the new calendar, and government and private officials say that Japan has taken the needed steps. International Herald Tribune, Dec. 29, 1999 Year 2000 Some UK Companies Shut Down E-mail Fear of computer viruses over the New Year. Some of the UK's largest companies are blocking electronic mail over the New Year in a bid to thwart the arrival of a threatened wave of up to 200,000 computer viruses. The move mirrors growing fears in the United States that "cyber-terrorists" and anarchists will try to mark the millennium by sabotaging computer systems. Earlier this week a number of US air force bases said they would block access to their web sites over the new year to try to ward off viruses. Glaxo Wellcome, the pharmaceuticals giant, and the car manufacturers Vauxhall and Volkswagen are among the big companies planning to block e-mails. Ford yesterday refused to disclose whether it was following suit but said it was "ensuring the system was safe from outside infection". The companies fear their e-mail systems could offer an entry point for new viruses, many of which may exploit concerns over the millennium bug - the inability of some systems and programs to cope with the date change to January 1, 2000. A new virus could display a message saying, for example, that programs are "not year-2000 compliant". "This could create a considerable amount of confusion, especially in the more paranoid organisations," said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos, an anti-virus company. Computer experts warn that hackers could also introduce genuine year 2000 problems. "To block all e-mails could be seen as an over-reaction to viruses alone, but then there's the year 2000 question. Simply because a system is compliant now doesn't mean it will remain so," said Lars Davies, a research fellow at the University of London. Companies that are blocking access are having to resort to old-fashioned forms of communication. Glaxo Wellcome said it had back-up fax arrangements in place across the world for the 24 to 48 hours its e-mail would be down. It added that "very, very few" employees would be working over the affected period. Other companies are stepping up their warnings to employees. British Telecommunications said it was aware of the increase in viruses that would be triggered by the date change and had alerted all its employees with remote access to its intranet. British Aerospace said it was running e-mail as normal but watching out for specific viruses - "we have a very good idea where a lot of these are coming from or could come from". The Financial Times, Dec. 29, 1999 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ ----- Aloha, He'Ping, Om, Shalom, Salaam. Em Hotep, Peace Be, All My Relations. Omnia Bona Bonis, Adieu, Adios, Aloha. Amen. Roads End DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. 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