World News Story

01 December 2008 22:40 BST

Three held and four hurt during Japan Olympic torch relay

Three people were arrested and four were injured during the Olympic torch relay in Japan which took place under heavy security.

The route taken by the torch saw sloganeering from pro-Tibet activists, anti-China Japanese nationalists as well as supporters of China.

All demonstrations took place under heavy security as Japanese police upgraded security in the city to a level usually associated with the country's Emperor.

Some protesters hurled flares and eggs at the runner and two were hauled to the ground when they tried to seize the flame. Minor scuffles were reported throughout the route but only three arrests have been confirmed so far.

More than 3,000 police officers were deployed during the event with a line of police officers flanking the runner on either side of the road. After the police officers, officials wearing tracksuits with the Olympic logo also surrounded the carrier of the torch.

The Olympic flame's round-the-world journey from Athens to China has seen fierce protests in London, Paris and San Francisco as protesters called for greater freedom for the Chinese territory of Tibet in light of a recent crackdown by the country's authorities on protestors marking the anniversary of an uprising in 1958.

Security was tightened on the Asian leg of the tour as it moved from Pakistan to India and now Japan. The next leg of the trip will take place in South Korea.