The deployment came just hours after Japan urged Peru to show restraint in maneuvers outside the compound, where the Tupac Amaru rebels have held diplomats and business leaders from Japan and other nations for five weeks.
Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto appealed to the Peruvian government "not to go too far. Not thinking of the hostages' mental state may have an adverse effect."
Despite Japan's warnings, four armored personnel carriers rumbled past the compound later yesterday, their machine guns trained on the elegant residence seized by the rebels on Dec. 17.
A police helicopter circled overhead as the commandos marched to the strains of martial music blasting from speakers. Moments later, the commandos returned and walked at a snail's pace as they aimed their rifles at the residence.
At least two shots rang out from inside the compound, sending the commandos ducking for cover. Police said one bullet nicked a personnel carrier, but there were no reports of injuries.
A half-hour later, commandos returned for another march past the residence - their fifth of the afternoon.
Police have stepped up maneuvers outside the compound in the past two weeks, leading rebels to complain police are trying to provoke a confrontation to justify storming the compound. On at least five previous occasions, the rebels have fired shots to warn police to keep their distance.
Hostages inside the compound include Japanese Ambassador Morihisa Aoki, Japanese executives, Peru's foreign and agriculture ministers, police officials and President Alberto Fujimori's younger brother, Pedro.
Under international law, Japan must give permission for any military action to free the hostages, since the compound is considered Japanese property.
Japan's vice foreign minister, Sadayuki Hayashi, said yesterday that Peru had reaffirmed its commitment to the hostages' safety.
About 20 Tupac Amaru guerrillas seized more than 500 hostages when they stormed a diplomatic reception inside the compound.
The rebels have freed all but 72 hostages and are demanding the release of at least 300 guerrillas from Peruvian jails.
Fujimori insists the rebels drop that demand before negotiations begin. A mediation panel has been formed but has yet to begin work.
Government negotiator Domingo Palermo said yesterday a plac hade been found for talks whenever they do start.
In addition, Peru's Catholic church has agreed to monitor prison conditions for Tupac Amaru rebels, Palermo added. The guerrillas have condemned the treatment given jailed comrades and other inmates in the country's prisons.
In a statement, the Catholic church called for dialogue to end the standoff. It criticized the rebels' seizure of the hostages and expressed solidarity "for their prolonged and painful captivity."
Moments before yesterday's maneuvers, police set up loudspeakers on three metal platforms and connected them by cable to a central sound system. The speakers fell just short of the diplomatic compound's 10-foot walls.
Police commandos marched to the strains of battle songs commemorating Peruvian battles against neighboring Ecuador and Chile. The music continued after the commandos left the area.
The speakers appeared to be another tactic designed to wear down the guerrillas. The same tactic was used by U.S. soldiers who blasted rock music to drive out Gen. Manuel Noriega from his refuge in the Vatican Embassy in Panama City following the 1989 U.S. invasion.
Meanwhile yesterday, police in the jungle town of Satipo, 265 miles northeast of Lima, said they had captured two Tupac Amaru leaders who were about to board a bus bound for the capital.
Mauricio Gutierrez and Grimaneza Mendoza are leaders of the rebels' central jungle front, which operates from the Tupac Amaru's last remaining bastion in the Chanchamayo Valley, police said. The men were headed to Lima to link up with rebels in the capital, police said, without giving details of what the two planned to do there.