@The_Doc_Man & @Mark_
fortunately or unfortunately I've always been weak in history and most of what you are talking about (both US and our history) is strange to me.
I would learn history first.
Japan as a nation has a bad history of killing, raping, and using horrible, horrible behavior towards its neighbors. Ask anyone in China about the past and they will talk of the millions killed by Japan. They can tell you about bouts of plague that still happen from time to time because Japan used biological weapons in China. Further back you will find that Japan is a country who's history is soaked in blood, mainly that of its own people.
As to disarming the populace, that is the FIRST step used by governments that have killed millions of their own people. I'd suggest reading up a bit and learning this type of history, it will give a social context.
If I were to just listen to news, I'd have to go with the feeling Japan had dispensing machines for chemical weapons. How else could people have gotten to them to use? Well, that and everyone in Japan is a pervert that goes into subways to sexually assault people. Fortunately I've learned these sensational stories are exceptions, not the norm.