Chinese Club tear gas incident - October 2002, Kabukicho

Chinese Club tear gas incident - October 2002, Kabukicho

In October 2002, tear gas was thrown into a Chinese club in Kabukicho, causing a commotion in which customers and employees complained of breathing difficulties and eye pain. The incident was said to be in retaliation for the shooting death of a Japanese gang leader in the Parisienne incident the previous month, exposing the danger of underworld strife involving ordinary citizens. Kabukicho at the time was known as the "Asian mafia trade fair" because of the gathering of international crime syndicates, and there were constant battles over drug trafficking, illegal immigration mediation, and sex industry interests. 2002 saw an increase in foreign tourists and workers immediately after the Japan-Korea World Cup, and the multinationalization of the workforce shook the traditional yakuza control of the area, The year 2002 was a time of conflicting interests as Chinese, Korean, and Southeast Asian organizations moved into the area. The use of tear gas caused citizens to fear that
"anyone could be a target," and fear spread throughout the city. The incident prompted the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government to accelerate their cleanup operation, and the following year, 2003, saw a large-scale bust under the leadership of Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara. As a result, the incident was not merely a retaliatory drama, but an event that symbolized a turning point in the era of disorder caused by internationalization and the tightening of administrative regulations.