Special Assault Team

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Special Assault Team

Special Assault Team Shoulder Patch
Active (Special Armed Police) September 28, 1977 - April 1, 1996
(Special Assault Team) - April 1, 1996 - Present
Country Japan
Branch National Police Agency
Type Special Forces
Role Domestic Counter-Terrorism and Law Enforcement
Size 300 operators
Part of Directly under control of the National Police Agency
Garrison/HQ Tokyo (Most SAT operatives) at the Metropolitan Police HQ, others at Osaka, Hokkaidō, Chiba, Kanagawa, Aichi, Fukuoka and Okinawa
Nickname Special Operations Company [Formerly], Special Forces [Current] (Tokyo Branch)
Zero Company (Osaka Branch), SAT
Battles/wars Neomugicha incident
Commanders
Current
commander		 Classified
Notable
commanders		 Classified

The Special Assault Team (特殊急襲部隊 Tokushu Kyūshū Butai?) is the official civilian Counter-Terrorist unit under the Japanese National Police Agency. Like the GSG 9 and the SAS, most information on the unit has been confidential, its existence officially revealed only in 1996.

Contents

[edit] History

[edit] Pre-SAT

The roots of the Special Assault Team are traced back on September 28, 1977 when Tōkyō and Ōsaka began to train Special Armed Police (SAP) units as an armed response to criminal incidents where firearms are known to be involved, especially after the Dhaka Incident. After its establishment, the unit had its first known incident on January 26, 1979 when the SAP's Tokyo branch were deployed during the Mitsubishi Bank Hostage Incident in Osaka (Current Mitsubishi Tokyo UFJ Bank). It was the first shooting incident in Japan involving armed police officers. In 1992, the SAP was again dispatched to Machida city to resolve an armed criminal incident.

[edit] SAT establishment

On June 21, 1995, All Nippon Airways Flight 857 was hijacked at the Hakodate Airport by a lone hijacker. This incident marking the first time that the Japanese Air Self-Defense Forces cooperated with the SAP by providing Kawasaki C-1 aircraft as means of transportation from Haneda Airport. The plane was stormed by SAP officers and the hijacker was arrested and subdued, with assistance from the Hokkaido Police's Riot Squad. The incident had made National Police Agency (NPA) officials work for the establishment of the Special Assault Team. On the same year, SAP units were dispatched to Yamanashi Prefecture.

The attempted hijacking marked the need for a specialized counter-terrorist team that would operate under the auspices of the National Police Agency.

On April 1, 1996, the Special Assault Team (SAT) was established after a year's training with the GSG 9, GIGN and the British SAS.

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).

[edit] Post-SAT

SAT operators successfully rappel from chopper during training exercise.
SAT operators successfully rappel from chopper during training exercise.

The SAT became known in Japanese media again when its Fukuoka and Osaka branches 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. Their biggest operation was in 2002 during the 2002 FIFA World Cup, when SAT units were seen providing heavy security for soccer teams during matches on Japanese soil.

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. The unit has also been featured recently in various Japanese TV documentaries.

[edit] Organisation

[edit] Locations

SAT operators work to retake a mock hijacked bus.
SAT operators work to retake a mock hijacked bus.

The Tōkyō branch, formerly called "Special Operations Company" (特科中隊), is under 6th Mobile Unit, Security Department of Tōkyō Metropolitan Police Department (警視庁警備部第六機動隊). In Ōsaka Prefecture, it was created under the 2nd Mobile Unit (第二機動隊) and was unofficially called the "Zero Company" (零中隊). Today, the official name of SAT in Japanese is simply "特殊部隊," or "Special Forces."

Currently other branches exist in the prefectural Police departments of Hokkaidō, Chiba, Kanagawa, Aichi, Fukuoka and Okinawa. Nationwide SAT maintains about 300 personnel.

SAT operators conduct routine training in their own kill-house at certain prefectures in the Kantō region (Locations are believed to be classified). The SAT has also conduct joint training with the Japanese Self-Defense Forces in order to maintain their state of readiness.

[edit] Structure

Each SAT division consists of a subduing group, the sniping group, the technical support group and the command section.

The subduing group leads the operation and the sniping group takes charge of sniping and reconnaissance. The technical support group is in charge of electronic equipment such as microphones and cameras. The command section is responsible for tactical planning.

[edit] Miscellaneous

  • Upon recruitment to the SAT, the officer's name is deleted from the roster of active police officers; this is done similarly to the British SAS and GSG 9 so as to protect them from being attacked by criminals, extremist and terrorist groups, as well as being prosecuted.
  • SAT operators in the group's sniper division are trained to kill with precise headshots and reload in split seconds.
  • SAT operators are known to cooperate with the Special Security Team (SST), mostly in training exercises.

[edit] Equipment

[edit] Weapons

[edit] Assault Rifles

  • Howa Type 89 (Though it is said that the SAT has possessed a quantity of these rifles, they are not known to be used in any of the SAT's operations)

[edit] Submachine Guns

Counter Firearm Unit platoon standing at attention. They are armed with Heckler and Koch MP5A5 submachine guns. CFU shares some of their equipment with SAT and stands by as SAT's backup in emergency reponse situations.
Counter Firearm Unit platoon standing at attention. They are armed with Heckler and Koch MP5A5 submachine guns. CFU shares some of their equipment with SAT and stands by as SAT's backup in emergency reponse situations.

[edit] Shotguns

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

[edit] Sniper Rifles

[edit] Handguns/Revolvers

[edit] Support Items

  • Ballistic Helmet with faceshield
  • Ballistic Shield
  • Flashbang
  • Night Vision Goggles
  • SAT Assault Vehicle with platform for sniping use

[edit] Ranks

The following ranks are observed in the SAT:

  • Commander = Inspector - Keibu (警部?)
  • Team Captain = Assistant Inspector - Keibuho (警部補?)
  • Squad Leader = Sergeant - Junsacho (巡査部長?)

[edit] Areas of Responsibility (AOR)

[edit] 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.

[edit] Osaka

[edit] Hokkaido

[edit] Chiba

[edit] Kanagawa

[edit] Aichi

[edit] Fukuoka

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

[edit] 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 [1].

[edit] In Popular Culture

The SAT has been portrayed in various mangas/animes, movies, television shows and even in video/computer games as protagonists or allies assisting protagonist characters. However, the following involve the SAT in significant ways:

  • The SAT, in First President of Japan, is shown as a scapegoat of political negligence in areas of the Japanese government when numerous casualties were inflicted on them by ex-North Korean commandos due to failure to warn SAT forces on the security upgrades placed on the Mihama nuclear power plant.
  • Seen in the early stages of Deleted Scenes in Counter-Strike: Condition Zero in the Japan stage. They are called Kidoutai, though this may be an error on the part of the developers. However, SAT operatives do wear Kidoutai uniform to avoid attracting attentions on occasions. This was later omitted in the final version, though it could still be accessed.
  • Players play as SAT operatives in the Lethal Enforcers (Diet Building) stage of Lethal Enforcers 3 battling against renegade JGSDF soldiers.
  • One of the characters in Police 911 2 is a SAT operative armed with a Heckler and Koch MP5K Submachine gun, joining in a special American-Japanese law enforcement task force.
  • An SAT mod exists for Japanese players playing Counter-Strike and SWAT 3.
  • In the anime Elfen Lied, SAT forces are used to track down and capture Lucy/Nyu as the response of the Japanese government over their disappearance, being portrayed as antagonists. Bandou is one of the fictional members of the SAT.
  • In Pokémon, the SAT has been featured in two instances:
  1. SAT forces try to track down the Terrorists who attack the Rayquaza Tournament
  2. The MRT (Mewtwo Response Team) are created to deal with Mewtwo threats. Their equipment and weapons look similar to the real-life GSG 9 and the SAT.
  • In the five-volume anime series The Analog Complex, SAT forces work with Vector 18 operatives to retake a Japanese military base taken over by terrorists from Azerbaijan.
  • A fictional police anti-terrorist unit based on the SAT is featured in the Playstation 2 game, Simple 2000 Series Vol. 108: The Nippon Tokushubutai (Japan Special Forces).
  • A subplot of You're Under Arrest's 2nd Season involves conflict between Miyuki and Natsumi due to the latter's selection by Special Assault Team officials.

[edit] References

  1. ^ "Okinawa police form assault team for response to terrorism", Stars & Stripes, November 1, 2006

[edit] External links

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