The opening ceremony of the 20th Asian Games (ASIAD 20) took place on September 19 at Paloma Mizuho Stadium, Nagoya City, Japan. The event is expected to have the participation of Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako, so security assurance work is being implemented at a high level by Japanese authorities.
According to the Japan National Police Agency, about 10,000 police officers were mobilized to ensure security during the opening ceremony. Of these, about 3,100 police officers belong to units specially mobilized from many localities across Japan.
Authorities also established a "Protective Policy Department" headed by the Director of the Security Department to command and coordinate plans to ensure safety for the opening ceremony.
One of the notable measures is the establishment of a no-fly zone for unmanned aerial vehicles. The area within about 1 km around Paloma Mizuho stadium and the residence of the Japanese Emperor and Empress is subject to special control regulations for unmanned aerial vehicles.
This is the first time new regulations have been applied to an event attended by the Emperor of Japan, in the context of Japan strengthening risk control from unmanned aerial vehicles in crowded places.
In addition to direct control measures, the Japan National Police Agency pays special attention to the risks from individual subjects. These are individuals who do not belong to a specific organization but can commit acts of violence or commit crimes alone.
Japanese authorities have established a "Center for synthesizing information on threats to individual operators at ASIAD". The center is tasked with collecting and analyzing information that may be a warning sign of the risk of crime, including threatening content posted on social networks.
Notably, AI is used to support the analysis of social media posts in Japanese and many other languages. The application of this technology aims to help functional forces detect early information that may be related to security and safety risks during ASIAD 20.
ASIAD 20 is held in Aichi and Nagoya from September 19 to October 4, with the participation of about 11,000 athletes from 45 countries and territories, competing in 43 sports.
The opening ceremony takes place from 6 pm (Japan time), i.e. 4 pm (Vietnam time), at Paloma Mizuho stadium with the theme "Harmonic Heart Beat". The program is directed by Yukihiko Tsutsumi, combining art performances with the unique cultural features of Japan and the Aichi region.
