Overview
- The Metropolitan Police Department is sending hundreds of riot police and other officers to the area around JR Shibuya Station on Friday, using DJ police and loudspeakers with warnings in multiple languages.
- Officers will test small body-worn cameras that stream footage to headquarters to track pedestrian flow and gauge congestion in real time.
- Shibuya is deploying about 125 security staff across 10 sites from 7 p.m. to 5 a.m., keeping the Hachiko statue area covered, restricting vehicle entry from 4 p.m., and suspending nearby parking meters all day.
- Public alcohol consumption is prohibited around Shibuya Station from 6 p.m. to 5 a.m., with Shinjuku enforcing a similar ban in Kabukicho from 5 p.m. to 5 a.m., though neither carries penalties.
- Officials are softening the tone of warnings this year, with Mayor Ken Hasebe saying the ward is not trying to stop Halloween as outreach expands through posters, flyers and announcements in English, Chinese and Korean.