TOKYO: Ken Hasebe, mayor of Tokyo’s Shibuya Ward, spoke to foreign media on Thursday and asked tourists not to visit Shibuya to celebrate Halloween.

Speaking at a press conference at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan in Tokyo, Hasebe called on foreign tourists to “reconsider” their plans if they are thinking about visiting Shibuya for Halloween on Oct. 31 and during several days before.

Citing last year’s deadly crowd crush in Seoul’s Itaewon district just ahead of Halloween, Hasebe warned that an accident like that “can happen anytime” also in Shibuya.

Every Halloween, areas around Shibuya Station become a destination for crowds of nighttime revelers and partiers from Japan and abroad, some of whom cause a nuisance.

“The situation that Shibuya is facing during Halloween is much more serious than overtourism. We are talking about illegal dumping of massive amounts of trash, arrests for molestation, sneak photography or voyeurism, property destruction and the future possibility of fatal accidents triggered by crowds,” he said.

At a press conference last month, Hasebe asked people not to gather around Shibuya Station for Halloween, suggesting that the ward will send out more messages as Halloween in Shibuya has been known to the world via social media.

JIJI Press