The disaster in Itaewon, South Korea, on Halloween Day caused a tragedy in which 155 people were killed when some of the crowds concentrated on narrow slopes began to fall.
In 2001, some people on the overpass stopped to watch the summer festival fireworks held in Akashi, Hyogo Prefecture, Japan, and 11 people were killed and 247 injured due to the tangled crowds of people staying and leaking and inflowing. The accident investigation committee and experts cited the failure of the “prediction.” The organizers predicted that 25,000 people would visit based on their experiences and senses, but the actual number of visitors was estimated to be about 55,000. For this reason, the accident has grown as there has been no review of the implementation of one-way overpass and the establishment of a bypass road. In the wake of the incident, Japan strengthened measures to prevent accidents by creating a clause called “crowded expenses” in related laws.
Japan’s response is being re-examined in the wake of the catastrophe in Itaewon, Seoul, on the night of October 29. Up to 1 million people gather a day on Halloween Day in Shibuya, Tokyo, because Japan holds events without major accidents with only about 100 police officers.
Halloween is not a unique holiday in Japan, but it is one of the biggest events. According to the Japan Anniversary Association, the Halloween market in 2019 was 115.5 billion yen. The market is the third largest after Valentine’s Day and Parents’ Day.
In 2019, just before the global spread of the novel coronavirus infection disease, more than 1 million people gathered a day in the center street of Shibuya. As of 11 p.m., 70,000 people enjoyed Halloween in the center street.
The Metropolitan Police Department and Shibuya-ku are evaluated to effectively control the event with minimal manpower and cost. There are about 100 police officers deployed by the Metropolitan Police Department every year. Shibuya-ku spent 13.2 million yen on Halloween expenses last year.
Instead, both the Metropolitan Police Department and Shibuya-ku are taking various measures to prevent accidents. Shibuya-ku enforces an ordinance banning drinking on the street during Halloween. From 6 p.m. to 5 a.m. the next day on Halloween day, October 30-31, and from 12 p.m. to 5 a.m. on November 1, street drinking is prohibited.
Street drinking is prohibited from 6 p.m. to 12 p.m. on October 24th to 29th as well as Halloween day, preventing the atmosphere from heating up in advance. In addition to restaurants, 42 stores, including nearby convenience stores, department stores, and retail stores, are requested to refrain from selling alcoholic beverages from 5 p.m. on the 30th to 5 a.m. the next day.
Vehicles will be completely suspended in the area around Shibuya Station, and the rest of the roads will be converted to one-way traffic. The center street, designated as a pedestrian-only road, will install more than 10 temporary monitoring towers to induce the crowd to continue moving without stopping. Police officers called “DJ Police” constantly repeat the guidance, “Don’t stay in the same place and keep moving,” just because they have a loudspeaker on top of the watchtower. (DJ Police) When many soccer fans flocked to Shibuya on June 4, 2013, after Japan’s national soccer team participated in the World Cup (W Cup) Brazil, a police officer grabbed a microphone on a police vehicle, mixed humor and induced order like a club DJ. As the response was good, the Metropolitan Police Department set up an organization in charge of DJ police and used it for major sports events such as the 20th Tokyo Summer Olympics.)
The rest of the police officers set up barricades to guide the direction of traffic or to cross the crosswalk after changing the green light. The measure is aimed at preventing crush accidents from occurring due to the sudden mix of crowds.
In Japan, this year’s Halloween was the first time in three years that no measures were taken to refrain from going out. The Metropolitan Police Department and Shibuya-ku were on high alert as foreign tourists are expected to flock by lifting entry restrictions from the beginning of this month. On top of that, the news of the Itaewon disaster was reported, and the alert was greatly strengthened on Halloween day on the 31st, and fortunately, it ended safely.
MIKE CHOI
ASIA JOURNAL
