=20 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- This article was sent to you by someone who found it on SF Gate. The original article can be found on SFGate.com here: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=3D/news/archive/2002/04/06/s= ports1016EST0348.DTL ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Saturday, April 6, 2002 (AP) Report: Armed police to board Japanese airlines (04-06) 07:16 PST TOKYO (AP) -- Police armed with pistols and truncheons reportedly will fly on Japanese airlines for the first time during the World Cup. Teams of two or more plainclothes officers will ride on selected domestic and international flights, the Asahi newspaper said Saturday. Japan and South Korea are the co-hosts for the May 31-June 30 tournament. The safeguard was agreed upon by Japanese police and the country's 12 air carriers, the paper said, citing sources close to the decision. Night officers at the National Police Agency were unable to comment on t= he report Saturday, and calls to several airlines went unanswered. Japan and South Korea are particularly concerned about soccer hooliganis= m, which has yet to make inroads in Asia. =20 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright 2002 AP