Police in Japan are on the hunt for a person who sent bomb and death threats to hundreds of schools, forcing hurried closures.
Earlier this week, a Tokyo-registered number sent the threats by fax to high schools and universities.
Fax machines are still commonly used in Japan.
Police say they have not discovered any explosives in school facilities, and there have been no complaints of attacks on students or staff to date.
In Japan, which is renowned for having a low crime rate, bomb threats are very rare occurrences.
The first wave of messages began on Monday January 23, reaching schools and universities across the country.
According to officials, more than 170 schools in one prefecture, Saitama, have received bomb threats.
According to local media, one message stated that more than 330 bombs had been implanted, and another stated, “I planted a major bomb.”
According to other sources, the messages requested ransoms between 300,000 yen (£1,870; $2,320) and 3 million yen.
The same number sent messages on Tuesday threatening to use homemade weapons to murder students and teachers at high schools in various prefectures, including Osaka, Saitama, and Ibaraki near Tokyo.
As a precaution in response to the threats, several schools in Japan were closed; however, by Thursday January 26, the majority had reopened.
Author-Roberta Appiah
