Expert Bodyguard Reveals Biggest Adversaries Encountered So Far From Overseas Royalty to World-Class Athletes

The job of a bodyguard is to keep high-profile individuals away from danger.

In Japan, where crime is relatively low, the profession of executive protection (bodyguard) is not widely heard of. Among them, the International Bodyguard Association (AICPO), headquartered in the UK, is a professional organization for executive protection. Mr. Hideto Osanai, deputy chief of the International Bodyguard Association and representative of its Japan branch, holds a national qualification as a bodyguard in the UK and has trained in the United States, Israel, and EU countries as a professional bodyguard. Currently, he runs a security company specializing in executive protection mainly in Japan. His security experience spans a wide range, from foreign government officials and foreign royal families to overseas artists, famous athletes, and even prominent global corporate figures and religious leaders.

“Many may think that VIP protection in Japan is handled by police Special Police (SP), but SP only guards those designated by the National Police Agency Chief. Therefore, even foreign dignitaries of VIP class who visit for private reasons, not official duties, aren’t designated for police protection, often leading to requests for private security companies. Hence, private security firms handle far more protection assignments than the police.”

In Japan, there are two patterns for requesting private bodyguard services:

1. When companies hosting events, hotels, or event organizers invite dignitaries.
2. When the dignitaries themselves or their associates make the request.

Legally, bodyguards fall under the category of private security companies. In Japan, security services primarily involve securing venues like concert halls, crowd control, cash transport, traffic management, and facility security. Alongside these, there is a category known as personal security, which encompasses the role of bodyguards. Private security companies in Japan are not permitted to carry firearms. How then do they provide security without firearms?

“During protection assignments, there are generally no situations where firearms are actually drawn. In the world of VIP protection, drawing a firearm usually signifies a failure in preventing a crisis beforehand. It implies that preventive measures to avert danger have failed, necessitating the use of firearms. Even in the U.S. Secret Service, which protects the President, only the closest guards carry handguns, yet they rarely draw them. For instance, during the assassination attempt on President Reagan in March 1981, Secret Service agents swiftly displayed handguns and submachine guns, but did not fire any shots.”

In VIP protection services, it’s not uncommon to have multiple individuals under protection. For instance, we may be tasked with securing world-renowned sports teams where several members need simultaneous protection.

“Before devising a security plan, our first step is to clearly define who and what we are protecting. We then assess potential risks that could affect these individuals. Essentially, after determining what needs protection, we consider what threats to safeguard against, and then formulate a security plan accordingly. During their stay in Japan, we carefully evaluate potential risks specific to each protected individual. Thus, adequate time is crucial for preparing security measures. For example, when we provided protection for a famous top-tier soccer player during their week-long stay in Japan, our team spent approximately three months preparing for the assignment.”

Among players, some may want to go shopping or sightseeing in crowded areas like Harajuku. What measures are taken when a security target goes into such crowds? It is said that risk assessment is conducted meticulously in advance.

“In cases where security targets go to crowded places, all actions are based on threat assessments. The most important thing we focus on in threat assessments is the possibility of realistic dangers occurring.

For example, when a famous soccer player goes shopping on Takeshita Street in Harajuku, it often causes a commotion. People making a fuss when encountering a famous person are more often out of favor than a threat. Apart from this favor, we analyze how likely it is for someone intending to attack the player to actually be present at the scene, and realistically assess the possibility of someone wielding a knife in such places.”

The trigger that led to aspiring to be a bodyguard was a language study abroad at the age of 15.

One important point in the analysis of threat possibilities is whether the security target has routines (repeated habits or behavioral patterns). For example, if there is a routine of always visiting a certain shop on Takeshita Street every time they visit Japan, security measures will be heightened during this visit to Takeshita Street. Routine behaviors increase the risk of ambush.

“Another crucial point is information leakage. Even without routines, if information about a person’s planned activities leaks beforehand, it increases the risk of ambush. When there is information leakage, we investigate the level and extent of the leak. If there is leaked information suggesting anticipated actions, security vigilance is heightened. Conversely, when visits to shops are spontaneous without leaked information, the likelihood of ambush or information leakage is lower, so security measures are not escalated to the same level.”

In the realm of personal and VIP protection, the first step in security is to carefully consider the realistic risks during information gathering about the protected individual. If an attacker cannot execute an ambush, their only option is to tail and calculate the timing of an attack. Bodyguards undergo training to recognize suspicious movements that indicate such timing calculations.

“Fundamentally, in personal and VIP protection services, it’s crucial to have robust measures against ambushes. Without proper ambush countermeasures, even with diligent security arrangements and vigilance on the day of the event, attacks can succeed. Being attacked during protection duties often results from inadequate prior preparation. It’s essential to implement effective ambush countermeasures and maintain thorough security vigilance on the actual day.”

This incident occurred at the age of 15 during a language study trip to the United States, which became the catalyst for pursuing a career where one doesn’t get a moment’s rest. On a Sunday afternoon in a rural town in Arizona, I encountered an old man walking by who suddenly collapsed in front of me. He wanted to help the old man, who had hit his head and was covered in blood, but at the time he could not speak English and did not know how to call for help, so he felt helpless.

“The frustration of seeing someone in need right in front of me but unable to do anything became my driving force. I began training in security and crisis management, thinking that with a little knowledge and experience, I might have been able to help. As I underwent various training in the US and elsewhere, instructors started telling me, ‘You seem suited for a career as a bodyguard.’ Eventually, I enrolled in one of the toughest bodyguard training institutions in the UK, obtaining their national qualification for bodyguards.”

After obtaining my bodyguard qualification in the UK, while working on training and security assignments primarily across Europe, I began to aspire for higher goals as a professional bodyguard.

“Many professional bodyguards advised me that if I wanted to advance further, I had to go to Israel. Around that time, I received a call from someone in Israel offering me the opportunity to undergo training in protection and security management. Within a week of that call, I found myself in Tel Aviv, Israel.

I can’t go into detail about the training in Israel, but it’s a country with constant risks, where people have a fundamental sense of crisis. At that time, Israel faced frequent suicide bombings, and instructors would tell me, ‘No matter how physically fit you are, no matter how good your shooting skills become, if a terrorist with a bomb approaches you, there’s nothing you can do.’ They hammered into me that waiting until danger appears before acting is too late; you have to prevent it from happening in the first place.”

He still holds close to his heart the words of someone he looked up to as his mentor during his time in Israel.

“Once, I was asked, ‘Do you know what the biggest enemy of security is?’ I was told it’s being lulled into a routine of peace where nothing happens. ‘Yesterday was quiet, the day before was quiet.’ This routine of ‘nothing happened in the past’ lowers your vigilance. Criminals, attackers, and terrorists observe security personnel whose awareness has dropped. It’s precisely during these moments when danger strikes. I believe this advice applies not only to bodyguards but also to general crime prevention for everyone.”

Two years ago on July 8, former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was shot while giving a speech in front of Yamato Saidaiji Station on the Kintetsu Line, and this year marks the third anniversary of his death. Whenever I recall this incident, Mr. Koyamauchi’s words, “The routine of saying nothing happened in the past is the biggest enemy,” resonate heavily. In the second part of the article, “” Education and Training Must Change ……,” a warning bell sounded by a professional dignitary security guard who verified the crime scene of former Prime Minister Abe and Prime Minister Kishida,” he explains the reasons for the Abe & Kishida shooting incident from a professional bodyguard’s perspective.