Subject: Community Security Update for November 16, 2001

Embassy of the United States
Tokyo, Japan
Community Security Update for November 16, 2001

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Security Situation
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The security situation in Japan remains the same this week, with 
no new threat information reported either from the American or the 
Japanese side.  In the last week, there have been no security 
incidents, no large demonstrations nor any other security threats 
reported.  However, the embassy continues to maintain a heightened 
state of alert in light of the September 11 attacks and we 
encourage all Americans living in Japan to do the same.

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Rumors
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We would like to caution against unfounded rumors.  If you hear 
rumors of threats, accurate, up to date information is available 
either through our website at http://www.tokyoacs.com, the 
main State Department web site at http://travel.state.gov, by 
contacting your local police station or from the embassy's 
Regional Security Office at telephone: 81-3-3224-5000, 
Fax 81-3-3224-5197.

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Advice for Parents
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The following advice is from the Department of State's Regional 
Psychiatrist.

Following the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, 
many of us are trying to learn how best to respond to such 
traumatic events. A traumatic event is defined as a negative 
situation that is unexpected both in time and place and which 
makes a person feel vulnerable and overwhelmed. Every person 
attempts to respond to a traumatic event in a way that makes them 
feel less vulnerable (i.e. a person tries to reclaim control of 
their feelings and circumstances that seem to have spun out of 
control).

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Three Phases
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Following a traumatic event people normally go through three 
phases: 

The first phase is a "fight or flight" phase during which 
heightened senses bring in as much information as possible. Safety 
is paramount. 

Within a few hours, the second phase of numbing and closing down 
takes place. The ability to think clearly diminishes and people 
withdraw as they begin to try to cope with the sensory overload 
they are experiencing. 

In the third phase -- a processing phase -- the person tries to 
prepare against being caught off guard by planning for a safe 
future. This results in a rehashing of the current traumatic event 
and any other previous traumatic events in an effort to try to 
work out a solution that will guarantee safety. Anything that 
distracts a person from doing this creates irritability. With the 
passage of time and the lack of any recurring traumatic events, a 
person usually returns to the regular routines of daily life. 

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Children
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Children go through the same phases as adults. The responsibility 
of parents is to decrease the load of possible traumatic images 
seen by their children. Children over the age of 10 should watch 
TV news with a parent. This should be done so that the parents can 
discuss the child's thoughts and feelings. Children under 10 years 
should not be watching TV news. Adults should understand that 
watching the news can heighten feelings of vulnerability and lack 
of control. Modem TV news is too intense and repetitive. 

Watching the News
Recent studies demonstrate that radio and internet news are easier 
to assimilate than television news. It is usually less 
overwhelming to watch the news on TV in short increments (perhaps 
segments of 15 or 20 minutes) separated by time in between to 
allow processing of the information viewed. Obviously, during a 
crisis both children and adults hear many rumors. It is often hard 
to determine what is factual and what is not. 

Parents need to let their children know they are there to answer 
any questions and address their children's worries. Parents can 
tell their children that they are saddened by the tragic events. 
Most importantly, they need to support their children in feeling 
safe and to communicate to them that the daily routine will 
continue. A regular routine tends to help children feel safe. 
Children look at bedtime as a time of separation from their 
parents. When they feel unsafe, they often use a variety of 
delaying tactics to continue the reassuring contact with parents. 
Parents need to understand this aspect of a child's behavior and 
do their best to keep the usual bedtime routines in place. 

Regression
At times of stress, regression is a typical coping technique used 
by both children and adults. During times of crisis it is best to 
reassure rather than punish the child. Another typical symptom 
seen at these times in children (and adults) is irritability. 
Again, reassurance is the best response. 

Adults have the advantage of understanding that the future can 
bring healing and change for the better. A child only sees the 
present time as real and does not have developed view of the 
future. Adults therefore can use healthy coping skills to deal 
with the uncertainties of the present because they are able to 
understand that the future can bring positive changes 

Coping Skills
The key thing is to use healthy coping skills (e.g. exercise and 
open expression of feelings) rather than destructive coping skills 
(e.g. drinking and smoking). The healthiest coping skill is to 
reach out to others in positive ways. Being a good neighbor is the 
best defense against feeling like the outside world is going to 
harm you. 

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Passports by Mail
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We want to take the opportunity of this Community Security Update 
to let the American community know that most Americans, including 
many children, can renew their passports by mail, and thus need 
not come in person to the Embassy or one of our Consulates.  Full 
details are available on our web site as http://www.tokyoacs.com.  
Persons in Tokyo, Chiba, Fukushima, Gunma, Ibaraki, Kanagawa, 
Nagano, Niigata, Saitama, Shizuoka, Tochigi, Yamagata or Yamanashi 
prefectures apply through the Embassy; consult our web site for 
the areas served by our Consulates, or follow the links at the end 
of this message for the Consulates' web site addresses.

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Please contact us by FAX at 03-3224-5856 with questions, or 
suggestions for topics for future updates.
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