Japan N-plant bomb suspect admits attacks-police

["Sandy Perle" <sandyfl@earthlink.net>]

Japan N-plant bomb suspect admits attacks-police

TOKYO, Jan 13 (Reuters) - A man arrested on suspicion of attempting 
to bomb a Japanese uranium processing plant where a serious nuclear 
accident occurred has confessed to two other bombings, police said on 
Thursday. 

They said Tatsufumi Oshiba, 39, had confessed to planting two pipe 
bombs which exploded in crowded areas last month. 

Oshiba, unemployed and of no fixed address, was arrested after police 
last week found a notebook with his name on it in a bag containing a 
crude explosive device. 

The bag was found near the uranium processing plant where Japan's 
worst-ever nuclear accident occurred last September. The accident 
exposed at least 69 people to radiation, and one worker later died. 

Local media said Oshiba was so angry at JCO Co, the company which 
runs the plant located in Tokaimura, about 140 km (90 miles) 
northeast of Tokyo, that he planned to bomb it. 

``I was angry at JCO for causing a nuclear accident. I was going to 
plant the bomb in JCO and also kill myself,'' the Mainichi Shimbun 
newspaper quoted Oshiba as telling investigators. 

The device failed to explode because the timer was not turned on, 
police said. 

Police said Oshiba also confessed to planting an explosive device in 
a coin locker at a suburban Tokyo train station which exploded on 
December 27, injuring a railway company employee. 

He also confessed to planting another explosive on December 24 aboard 
a bullet train, police said. A rubbish bag removed from the train 
exploded at a train depot in Osaka, western Japan. No one was injured 
by that blast. 

The bombs found in Tokaimura were made from aluminium cans, a steel 
pipe and a can of chloroethylene, the Daily Yomiuri newspaper said. 
It said Oshiba told police he had made the bombs following 
instructions from a book. 

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