Central Tokyo Shopping Complex Locked Down after Liquid Sprayed near ATM

 

 

 

 

Emergency services gridlock central Tokyo's Ginza district after an unidentified substance sprayed near an ATM leaves up to 25 hospitalised.

 

 

Emergency services cordoned off parts of central Tokyo’s upmarket Ginza shopping district on Monday after a man sprayed an unidentified substance inside a luxury mall, leaving up to 25 people hospitalised with respiratory issues.

 

 

 

Emergency calls reporting a "pungent smell" at the Ginza Six shopping complex were made around noon, prompting a massive emergency response. Fire engines lined the streets and police cordoned off surrounding roads in the popular tourist and retail district, located roughly 200 metres southwest of Tokyo Metro's Ginza Station.

 

According to Tokyo police and fire department officials, a man allegedly sprayed the substance at an automated teller machine (ATM) corner on the ground floor of the building before fleeing the scene. A major police manhunt is currently under way to locate the suspect.
 

 

 

 

 

 

Reports on the exact number of casualties varied slightly in the immediate aftermath. Local emergency services initially reported that around 20 people felt unwell, with Kyodo News confirming at least one immediate hospitalisation.

 

However, later updates carried by Reuters stated that 25 people had been taken to hospital suffering from respiratory complications, with initial assessments suggesting a tear gas or similar irritant had been deployed.

 

Public broadcaster NHK reported that the majority of the injuries appeared to be minor. Firefighters and hazardous materials specialists in hazmat suits were seen escorting evacuees from the mall into specialised medical trucks for assessment, while others were taken away on stretchers.

 

One 70-year-old shopper told NHK that her throat began "stinging and hurting" as she walked towards the cash machines. "By the time I arrived, the commotion had already started, and I thought there might have been a small fire," she said. "Once I went into the ATM corner, my throat felt scratchy, almost numb."
 

 

 

 

 

While the main cordons disrupted traffic outside, the mall remained partially open, with some shoppers continuing to enter and exit via side doors.

 

Violent crime remains exceptionally rare in Japan, which boasts some of the strictest gun control laws in the world and a consistently low homicide rate. However, the country has seen sporadic public attacks in recent years. In December last year, 14 people were injured during a combined stabbing and chemical-spray attack at a factory in central Japan.

 

Public anxiety around chemical substances in transport and retail hubs also remains high, historically rooted in the devastating 1995 Tokyo subway sarin gas attack by the Aum Shinrikyo cult, which killed 14 people and injured thousands.

 

Police investigations into Monday's motive and the exact nature of the chemical used are ongoing.