Japanese Special Assault Forces (J-SAT)

Japanese Special Assault Forces (J-SAT)

The Special Assault Team could be a paramilitary counter coercion unit underneath the japanese National Police Agency.The Sat is remitted, together with the Anti-Firearms Squad and also the Counter-NBC coercion Squad, for scheme missions ANd incidents involving firearms or criminals that need an armed response on the far side the capabilities of native enforcement in Japan.Most data on the unit has been confidential, its existence formally unconcealed solely in 1996.

Currently, Sat is formally proverbial in Japanese as Special Unit ANd individual groups formally take the name of the Metropolitan or administrative division police departments to that they're assigned; an example would be national capital Metropolitan local department Special Unit, Metropolitan local department Special Unit) for the Sat allotted to the national capital Metropolitan space.

The military counterpart of the Sat is that the Japanese Ground protection Force's Japanese U. S. Army Special Forces cluster.

The origin of the Special Assault Team may be derived back to Gregorian calendar month twenty eight, 1977 once Tōkyō ANd Ōsaka began to coach Special Armed Police (SAP) units as an armed response to criminal incidents involving firearms, particularly once the Dhaka Incident.After its institution, the unit had its initial notable incident on Gregorian calendar month twenty six, 1979 once the SAP's city branch (then called the "Zero Company") were deployed throughout a Mitsubishi Bank surety incident in city. within the incident, they shot dead Akiyoshi Umekawa once he gunned down 2 staff and 2 policemen. it absolutely was the primary shooting incident in Japan involving armed law enforcement officials. SAP units were deployed overseas to help within the evacuation of Japanese nationals once the Gulf War materialized in 1991. In 1992, the SAP was sent to Machida town to resolve AN armed criminal incident. In 1995, SAP units were sent to Yamanashi Prefecture, so as to serve a look warrant to at least one of Aum Shinrikyo's hideouts, charged with suspicion of the GB gas attack on the Tokyo subway.

On June 21, 1995, All Nippon Airways Flight 857 was hijacked at the Hakodate flying field in Hokkaido by a lone hijacker named Fumio Kutsumi This incident marked the primary time that the japanese Air self-defence Forces cooperated with the SAP by providing Kawasaki C-1 craft as suggests that of transportation from Haneda flying field. The plane was stormed by SAP officers and therefore the hijacker was inactive and subdued, with help from the Hokkaido Police's Riot Squad. The hijacking try marked the requirement for a specialised counter-terrorist team that might operate below the auspices of the National Police Agency.

On April 1, 1996, the Special Assault Team (SAT) was established once a year's coaching with the GSG nine, GIGN and therefore the British SAS.

Locations Japanese Special Assault Forces (J-SAT)

The Japanese capital branch, erstwhile known as "Special Operations Company", is below sixth Mobile Unit, security of Japanese capital Metropolitan local department. In city Prefecture, it had been created below the 2d Mobile Unit and was on the side known as the "Zero Company" . Today, the official name of Sat in Japanese is solely  or "Special Unit."

Currently alternative branches exist within the administrative district Police departments of Hokkaidō, Chiba, Kanagawa, Aichi, city and Okinawa. Nationwide Sat maintains concerning three hundred personnel

SAT operators conduct routine coaching within their own kill house at sure prefectures in the Kantō region. The Sat has additionally conduct joint coaching with the japanese self-protection Forces so as to take care of their state of readiness. as an example, Sat personnel are schooled by the first mobile Brigade on insertion techniques.

Structure Japanese Special Assault Forces (J-SAT)

Each Sat division consists of a Command section, Assault section, Sniping section, and Technical Support section.

The Assault section executes assaults and suspect apprehension. The Sniping section provides intelligence operation and exactness hearth. The Technical Support section operates and maintains communications and police work instrumentation. The technical support cluster is answerable of equipment like microphones and cameras. The command section is to blame for military science designing.
Ranks

The following leadership ranks square measure determined within the SAT:
    Commander = Inspector - Keibu
    Team Captain = Assistant Inspector - Keibuho
    Squad Leader = Sergeant - Junsabucho

Miscellaneous of Japanese Special Assault Forces (J-SAT)

Upon achievement to the Sat, the officer's name is created classified from the list of active police officers; this can be to safeguard them from being attacked by criminals, extremist and terrorist teams, and being subjected to legal proceedings. Sat operators have entered joint coaching with the Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Weapons and techniques groups on CQC techniques. ten Sat officers were placed below coaching by Queensland Police's Specialist Service Branch in Queensland, Australia.

Operational Areas

Tokyo

• The SAT Tokyo unit is responsible for the Haneda Airport and other facilities such as the Imperial Palace, the Prime Minister's residence or Kantei and the National Diet Building. The unit is also in charge of resolving situations involving any hostile act against foreign embassies.

Osaka

• The SAT Osaka unit takes charge of the Kansai Airport and the Osaka Airport.

Hokkaido

• Included in the SAT Hokkaido unit's AOR is the New Chitose Airport and the Hakodate Airport

Chiba

• The Narita International Airport is the responsibility of the SAT Chiba unit.

Kanagawa

• Kanagawa's SAT unit takes charge of securing the US Navy's 7th Fleet headquarters.

Aichi

• Aichi's SAT unit is responsible for the Chubu Centrair International Airport.

Fukuoka

• Security for the Fukuoka Airport and the various foreign consulates are left to the Fukuoka SAT unit.

Okinawa

• Various US Military installations, such as the Naha Military Port, and the Naha Airport are left to the responsibility of the Okinawa SAT unit. This was the latest SAT unit to be established on September 10, 2005.

Equipment

Weapons

Handguns/Revolvers

• Glock 19
• Heckler & Koch P9
• Heckler & Koch USP 9
• Nambu Model 60
• Sig Sauer P226
• Sig Sauer P228
• Smith and Wesson M3913

Assault Rifles

• M4 carbine
• Howa Type 89

Submachine Guns

• Heckler & Koch MP5: The following models are used by the SAT. 
• MP5A4/A5/SD4/SD6 

Shotguns

• Unknown, but known shotguns in possession include Benelli, Mossberg and Remington-type shotguns

Sniper Rifles

• Heckler & Koch PSG1
• Howa Type 64 Rifles modified for sniping use
• Remington 700
• Howa M1500
• Dickson-Howa Golden Bear
• Sako TRG-42

Operational History

During the Japanese embassy hostage crisis in Peru, the SAT had simulated raids on retaking buildings similar to the Japanese Embassy as a possible counter-measure to a similar incident in Japanese soil.

In June 1997, the SAT was involved in its first anti-hijacking case when it stormed a bus and captured a hijacker alive.

On June 11, 1999, a lone man armed with a hunting rifle stormed the Keiyo Bank in Narashino, Chiba Prefecture. The SAT's Chiba unit was deployed to resolve the incident, but the hostage was released and the man was arrested by police through negotiations. The incident then forced Chiba Police to create the Attack Rescue Team, which would take responsibility for the SAT in low level criminal incidents. The unit has similar responsibilities to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police's SIT (Special Investigation Team) and the Osaka Police's MAAT (Martial Arts Attack Team).

The SAT became known in Japanese media again when its Fukuoka branch took part in recapturing a hijacked bus in Fukuoka in the Neomugicha incident in 2000, capturing the lone hijacker alive. The hijacking event showcased the SAT's dedication to protect the public with their counter-terrorist skills in subduing felons such as criminals and terrorists with as little force as possible, although it was suggested that the SAT captured the hijacker was because of the rules implemented in the Law Concerning Execution of Duties of Police Officials, which doesn't allow any police officer to fire their weapons except for self-defense.



In September 2003, the SAT's Aichi unit was deployed to resolve a hostage incident. However, the hostage-taker Noboru Beppu committed suicide in an explosion which killed three and injured 41 others.
Recent moves by NPA officials lead to an increase in manpower. In 2005, NPA officials increased the SAT's manpower from 200 to 250 operators. Another increase followed in 2006 when they increased the unit's manpower from 250 to 300 operators.

In May 2007 in another incident in Nagoya, an ex-yakuza gangster named Hisato Obayashi was captured by officers based from the Aichi Prefecture after he killed Kazuho Hayashi, an SAT operative stationed in Aichi. Posthumously promoted to Captain, he is the first SAT officer to be killed in the line of duty. His death has forced National Public Safety Commission Chairman Kensei Mizote to issue a press report, stating that SAT gear will be checked to see if it was responsible for Hayashi's unfortunate death.


The SAT Support Staff (or the SSS) unit was created on May 2007 in the wake of the hostage taking in Aichi Prefecture.