As fears of anthrax letters continued to spread around the globe, the Prime Minister's Official Residence, the Defense Agency and some media organizations on Wednesday received envelopes containing white powder that turned out to be starch.
According to police officials, analyses showed there was no danger. In most cases, the name of the sender was identical, and investigators are probing the incidents as hoaxes.
The mail addressed to Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi arrived at his official residence in the Nagata-cho district of Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward at around 10:45 a.m. A staffer opened it and found a typed letter and a plastic bag with the powdery substance, police said.