Bioterrorism in New York & Tokyo: Are We Ready?

The undeniable threat of weapons of mass destruction presents new challenges to existing home security policies. In the weeks immediately after 9/11, letters contaminated by anthrax began appearing in cities on the Eastern seaboard of the United States; in June 1993, two years before its sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway system, Aum Shinrikyo attempted to release anthrax spores from its mid-rise Tokyo office building laboratory.

What lessons has each country learned about managing the consequences of these kinds of attacks? Experts in public health, home security and communication share their knowledge, as well as the results of a private two-day Japan Society roundtable. Speakers include Sam Brinkley, Weapons of Mass Destruction Policy Adviser, Office of the Coordinator for Counterterrorism, U.S. Department of State; Scott Lillibridge, Special Assistant to the Secretary for National Security & Emergency Management, HHS; Gideon Rose, Managing Editor, Foreign Affairs magazine; and Haruo Watanabe, Director, Department of Bacteriology, National Institute of Infectious Diseases.
 
Followed by a reception.