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Prime Minister Observes "Shoreline Measures and the Disaster Prevention Base" at Yokohama Bay Thursday, November 24, 2005 JAPANESE Click photographs to enlarge Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi observed "shoreline measures and the disaster prevention base" at Yokohama Bay. Prime Minister Koizumi first boarded the "Izu," a disaster-response patrol boat, and observed practice drills for apprehending an unidentified boat approaching a tanker by a Japan Coast Guard patrol vessel. In the drills, the patrol boat "Izu" acted as the tanker. Prime Minister Koizumi then visited the Yokohama Maritime Disaster Prevention Base, which was established as the base for the Japan Coast Guard's disaster prevention activities in times of large-scale maritime disasters in the Kanto region. The Yokohama Coast Guard Office and the Yokohama National Strike Team Base, which responds to incidents nationwide such as large-scale oil-spill accidents, are also established at the base. At the Yokohama Maritime Disaster Prevention Base, Prime Minister Koizumi observed the special rescue squad practice of rescuing survivors from a fishing boat, as well as large-scale inflatable oil-fences and oil collection devices. Afterwards, Prime Minister Koizumi visited Osanbashi International Passenger Terminal, where he observed luggage inspections carried out at CIQ Plaza that included customs inspections of the personal effects of passengers entering and leaving the country, passport and visa inspections, and the quarantine of persons suspected of carrying infectious diseases as well as flora and fauna. Following his observation, Prime Minister Koizumi told a group of reporters, "I could see that they are continuing their state of constant vigilance and rigorous training. We are faced with a difficult situation where despite the latest equipment and alert state, technology that will allow someone to somehow slip through our defenses is being developed. Not being able to know when something is going to happen or what is going to occur makes developing counter-terrorism measures more challenging. That is why it is essential to review the kinds of countermeasures that can be taken and to identify existing defective spots." View Video (Available only in Japanese) Real(Narrowband) / Real(Broadband) Windows Media(Narrowband) / Windows Media(Broadband)