Japan on high alert for Trump’s visit amid concern over ‘lone wolf’ attacks
The high-profile security cordon is appropriate given Trump has been the target of assassination attempts back home, analysts say
An incident on Friday suggested that elevated levels of security for the occasion are warranted, with a police officer stationed outside the US embassy in central Tokyo attacked by a man with a knife.
The man, who has been arrested, was stopped after police believed he was acting suspiciously, with the officer sustaining minor injuries.
“It is absolutely right that the authorities here are taking this very seriously,” said James Brown, a professor of international relations at the Tokyo campus of Temple University.
“This would be the case in any circumstances, but this is the US president, who has already been targeted twice. And even though Japan is a very safe country, they have to take that into account.”