INDUSTRY

The Japanese government plans to introduce a computer simulator that can predict the damage caused by a large-scale terror attack, a government official said Tuesday. The system contains data about the damage that can be expected from different types of attack, including missile strikes and the release of poison gas, Cabinet Secretariat spokesman Toru Onoda said. In the event an attack takes place, operators would input topographic, climate and other data and the system would generate its prediction for projected injuries and damage, Onoda said. The impetus for developing the system came out of a 2004 law on protecting the Japanese people, Onoda said. The system is meant to help the government plan its response should an incident take place, he said. The system would be operated mainly by the Cabinet Secretariat, which would provide information to other agencies and local authorities, he said. The government put aside 46 million yen for the completing development on the simulator in its 2005 budget, Onoda said. It is budgeting a similar amount for 2006, Onoda said, when the simulator is expected to go into operation. The Japanese government in recent years has been taking steps to strengthen its ability to cope with potential terrorist action. Although Japan has not suffered an Islamic terror attack on its home soil, concerns have been high that the dispatch of Japanese troops on a humanitarian mission in Iraq and Tokyo's high-profile support for the U.S.-led war on terror could make it a target for militants. (AP)