The Tragedy of the Stand-up and the Marines - The True Face of Violence in Kabukicho, 1998

The Tragedy of the Stand-up and the Marines - The True Face of Violence in Kabukicho, 1998

The February 1998 incident in Kabukicho between a "stand-up" and a member of the Maritime Self-Defense Force is remembered as a shocking event that symbolizes the other side of the city. The tragedy began when a young third-ranked marine sergeant of the Maritime Self-Defense Force became involved with a so-called "tachinbo," a woman who stood on a street corner for the purpose of prostitution. The two entered a hotel, but an argument ensued, leading to the officer being stabbed to death with a knife the woman was carrying.

At the time, Kabukicho was in a situation where runaway girls and even minors were roaming the streets as "stand-ups" against the backdrop of the recession and social strain after the bursting of the bubble economy. During summer vacations and long vacations, girls streaming in from the countryside easily found a place to stay in the town, which became a hotbed of sex and violence. Although police controls were in place, it was difficult to completely cut off the hotbed of prostitution, and the anonymity of the downtown area allowed the crime to persist.

The involvement of the JSDF personnel had a major impact on society. The composition of a Self-Defense Force officer, who is supposed to protect the nation, being swallowed up by the perils of the nightlife district and losing his life brought into sharp relief the fragility of the state and the individual. At the same time, the incident made it known that Kabukicho is a "town of entertainment and desire," but also a "town of death and violence.

This incident condensed the contradictions that Kabukicho was facing at the end of the 1990s. Economic stagnation, sex services that evaded regulations, young people with nowhere to go, and deteriorating public safety. It was one of the incidents that spurred the rise of public opinion that eventually led to "Operation Purification" in 2003, and it was a moment that made visible the darkness of urban society.