Police in Yamanashi, Ibaraki and Hokkaido prefectures are investigating bomb threats sent to universities and an institute on Monday.
According to police, Tsuru University in Yamanashi Prefecture received a fax around 7:10 a.m. on Monday that read, “I planted a major bomb.” Local media reported that the message also contained an order to transfer 300,000 yen to a designated bank account.
Although no suspicious items were found on the campus, the university canceled all classes and kept students from entering the school’s premises on Monday. Yamanashi Prefectural Police have strengthened security at the school.
Also on Monday, Tokiwa University in Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture, received two faxes with the same threatening message. Police carried out a thorough search but no explosive device was found.
In a third incident, the Chitose Institute of Science and Technology in Hokkaido reported receiving a bomb threat to its campus but no suspicious items were found there, either.
© Japan Today
28 Comments
Login to comment
ClippetyClop
300,000 yen? This terrorist needs to show a bit more ambition if he wants to make it in the world.
faranglaos
That's righteous yen for someone who makes bomb threats by fax.
Mr Kipling
I hear that all high schools in Saitama also closed due to a threat today.
Numan
That is 300,000 from each school and institution! That is a significant amount of change!
Newgirlintown
A fax?! What is this, 1997?!
ClippetyClop
I stand corrected! Yamanashi, Ibaraki and Hokkaido in a slightly weird bomb-planting spree, all declared by fax.
I'd be surprised if the cops even looked that hard when they were called in.
Elvis is here
I wonder if there was no such thing as fax machines, would he have even bothered?
Maybe our alternate-universe members of the JT community ca tap into their crystal balls and gives us a clue.
noriahojanen
Why not throw away all faxes? And you'd never get threatened (via fax)
ClippetyClop
I'm smelling a student prank gone awry. I reckon he has a mate in each of those institutions and was trying to get them out of class for a Fortnite session.
vendingmachinemusic
Don't the fax machines send the senders number on the fax like they used to?
Yubaru
Three universities/institutions 900,000 ...... hardly a "significant" amount of change!
Skeeter27
Ok bomb threat …. Take it seriously. If you don’t the error could cost you your life or others. But I do not condone this action it’s the act of cowardice
MarkX
Two of the universities in our city also received the fax, but they are so poor they just threw it away as they couldn't afford the ransom!
A_cross
My kids' school reported that last Saturday a fax had been sent to the ward office targeting children. On about 10 occasions in 2022 they reported similar "suspicious email". Many schools & universities across Japan made similar reports. I assumed these all came from a malicious Trojan similar to “Emotet”, as documented here: https://www.ipa.go.jp/security/announce/20191202.html , but it looks like "fax-phishing" is also a real threat, see https://www.hoxhunt.com/blog/fax-phishing
englisc aspyrgend
The best bit of this is the fact that they sent a bomb threat by fax!
louisferdinandc
My son was also sent back from his Junior High School in Tokyo today because of a threat. Our conversation when he arrived home:
Me: “I am sure it was a prank but I know it wasn’t you or your naughty friends “
Him: ”How do you know for sure?”
Me: ”School said the threat was sent by fax”
Him: ”What is fax?”
Me: ”Exactly.”
David Michael Lockard
I have confidence that this will be resolved quickly and easily by law enforcement.
Thank you.
TokyoLiving
Just a stupid loser, catch and send to jail..
David K Anderson
By fax.
How to tell me the perp is Japanese without telling me the perp is Japanese.
GBR48
Probably inspired by the plane one last week. The evacuation protocol seems to have a low bar in Japan.
A malware infection on a PC/laptop with a fax card could be used to send it. But it was most likely kids via a konbini fax. 300,000 yen is a lot when you are 12.
Stratman
This same thing happened with Kanagawa high schools on Tuesday. Some one calling himself Lawyer K it seems.
YeahRight
All high schools in Iwate got one. Follow-up fax this morning.
shogun36
Nothing is more frightening than a MAJOR bomb.
No wait, sending a fax in 2023 is more frightening.
mam1914
We can add some schools in Osaka to that list
ian
There are software faxes now, so numbers can be changed
Luddite
By fax. Not a professional criminal then.