 The Asama @-@ Sansō incident ( あさま山荘事件 , Asama sansō jiken ) was a hostage crisis and police siege in a mountain lodge near Karuizawa , Nagano prefecture , Japan that lasted from February 19 , 1972 to February 28 , 1972 . The police rescue operation on the final day of the standoff was the first marathon live television broadcast in Japan , and was broadcast live on NET ( Nippon Educational Television ) and NHK .
Ōshiro Tōru , a 56-year-old former police officer, had been living in a mountain lodge called the Asama Sansō ( あさま山荘