20 May 2004
U.S. Customs Will Screen Cargo Containers Leaving Port of Tokyo
Site is 19th to operate under Container Security Initiative
A team of officers from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), an agency of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, will be deployed to the port of Tokyo starting May 21, according to a May 20 joint announcement by CBP Commissioner Robert C. Bonner and the Japanese Customs and Tariff Bureau.
The deployment is part of the Container Security Initiative (CSI), which authorizes CBP to screen high-risk cargo containers destined for the United States. The port of Tokyo is the 19th CSI port to become operational, the CBP announcement says.
"I am deeply grateful for the support of the Japanese Customs and Tariff Bureau for the successful implementation and expansion of CSI in Japan," Bonner said. "Because CSI will detect and deter attempts by terrorists to exploit cargo containers, the Container Security Initiative is an insurance policy against terrorism."
CBP officers are already working in the Japanese port of Yokohama under a reciprocal bilateral agreement. In addition, Japanese customs personnel are operating in the U.S. port of Los Angeles/Long Beach.
Following is the text of the announcement:
(begin text)
Press Release
Press Office
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
U.S. Customs and Border Protection
May 20, 2004
Contact: Media Services
202-927-8727
www.cbp.gov
U.S. CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION ANNOUNCES THAT PORT OF TOKYO BECOMES 19TH CONTAINER SECURITY INITIATIVE (CSI) PORT TO GO OPERATIONAL
Washington - U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Robert C. Bonner and the Japanese Customs and Tariff Bureau announced today that CBP officers will be deployed on May 21, 2004 to the port of Tokyo as part of CBP's Container Security Initiative (CSI). CBP officers will be targeting sea containers destined for the U.S.
CBP and the Japanese Customs and Tariff Bureau sealed a CSI declaration of principles on September 26, 2002. CSI became operational at the port of Yokohama on March 24, 2003. As part of the CSI program, U.S. Customs and Border Protection deployed a team of CBP officers to the port of Yokohama to work targeting high-risk cargo containers destined for the United States. Japanese Customs officials screen containers identified as posing a potential terrorist risk.
The port of Tokyo is the 19th CSI port to become operational. "I am deeply grateful for the support of the Japanese Customs and Tariff Bureau for the successful implementation and expansion of CSI in Japan. Because CSI will detect and deter attempts by terrorists to exploit cargo containers, the Container Security Initiative is an insurance policy against terrorism. It protects and secures trade between our two nations as well as the global trading system," said Commissioner Bonner.
CSI is a reciprocal program. CBP offers CSI-participating countries the opportunity to send their customs officers to U.S. seaports to target cargo that is exported to their country via ocean containers. CBP will also share its intelligence and pre-arrival information on a bilateral basis with its CSI partners. Sharing of information is intended to be a reciprocal process.
Japan is the second CSI partner country to station customs personnel in U.S. ports as part of the CSI program. Japanese customs personnel are stationed at the port of Los Angeles/Long Beach. Canadian Customs personnel are stationed at Newark and Seattle.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is the agency within the Department of Homeland Security charged with the protection of our nation's borders. CBP unified Customs, Immigration, and Agriculture Inspectors and the Border Patrol into one border agency for the United States.
Press Office
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
www.dhs.gov
(end text)
(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
This page printed from: http://usinfo.state.gov/xarchives/display.html?p=washfile-english&y=2004&m=May&x=20040520162207ASesuarK0.6047785&t=livefeeds/wf-latest.html
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