TOKYO (TR) – Earlier this week, a 33-year-old Frenchman was accused of shoving a man over on a street in the Kabukicho red-light district of Shinjuku Ward, causing him to strike his head. He later died.
Police arriving at the scene arrested Alexandre Laforet, an office worker, on suspicion assault resulting in injury. After the victim died, the charges were later changed to manslaughter.
Laforet, who was drunk at the time of the incident, denied the allegations. “I do not remember anything at all,” the suspect told police.
According to Shueisha Online (Oct. 2), the incident is an extreme example of the rowdiness that foreigners — mostly tourists — get into in Shinjuku. And with the arrival of Halloween expected to bring massive crowds of heavy-drinking revelers to Shinjuku, of whom some will be, of course, foreigners, police are on alert.
“Assaults, injuries and property damage incidents”
The incident took place right in front of Shinjuku Ward Office at around 1:30 a.m. on September 29.
At the time, Laforet was persistently approaching a woman working at a bar who was walking with the victim, 67, whom he did not know. When the man tried to intervene, Laforet pushed him away with both hands, causing the man to fall and hit his head hard on the pavement.
He suffered an acute subdural hematoma and was taken to the hospital, where he was confirmed dead.
“It seems that a police officer tasked with dealing with foreigners was called in to work that day after an emergency call was received,” a person involved in the investigation tells the site. “Although it is rarely reported, assaults, injuries and property damage incidents caused by foreign tourists occur almost daily in the Shinjuku area.”
Victim’s head then hit the pavement
A Kabukicho street tout witnessed the incident.
“I was nearby and only saw the incident partway through, but it seems that the French guy called out to the bar girl as she was walking with the victim,” the tout says. “He was like, ‘I’m a better man than [the victim], aren’t I?’ and ‘Let’s hang out.'”
The tout adds that the suspect seemed to be extremely drunk, and the girl was very reluctant.
“The victim then tried to stop him, saying ‘Stop it’ and ‘I’ve had enough of it,'” continues the tout. “But the French guy lost his temper and pushed the victim away with all his might.”
The victim’s head then hit the pavement.
“The sound echoed like nothing I’d ever heard before,” the tout says, “and the French guy must have thought things were bad, so he ran away.”
Other touts saw the situation unfold and chased after him.
“Then they tackled him and put him in a headlock about 80 meters away in front of a donut shop,” continues the tout. “Then some Nigerians joined in and surrounded him. The girl who was with him called the police and an ambulance.”
Police cars and ambulances were parked on the side of the road, and the scene was in chaos for a while.
“Works for a reputable company”
Laforet lives alone in a one-bedroom apartment on the second floor of a four-story building in Nakano Ward. The rent is around 150,000 yen.
The owner of the apartment said, “I got a voicemail from Shinjuku Police Station three or four days ago, but I didn’t call them back. I don’t have any contact with [the suspect] because I’ve left the apartment to a real estate agency.”
He’s been living in the unit for about two or three years.
“I think he lives alone,” continues the owner, “and he works for a reputable company. We do a fairly strict screening process. I’ve never heard of him getting drunk and causing trouble, let alone late payment of rent or causing trouble with the neighbors.”
Alcohol-related troubles
Due to the jump in foreign tourists arriving in Japan, the number of foreigners in the Shinjuku area, especially in Kabukicho, is increasing, and alcohol-related troubles are also on the rise, the site says.
(Even so, it should be pointed out, Laforet is not in that group. A local news reporter says, “The suspect speaks fluent Japanese, has a valid residence permit, and was not a tourist.”)
“I wasn’t on shift on the day of the incident, so I didn’t witness it, but I hear about a lot of trouble involving foreigners around here,” says a female worker in Kabukicho. “Like when they get drunk and go into a private room of a restaurant without permission to pick up girls. It seems that this incident also started with a pick-up…”
In recent years, the Golden Gai quarter, which sits at the edge of Kabukicho, has been crowded with foreigners. For restaurant employees, they must take the good (strong business) with the bad (incidents).
“Foreigners spend a lot of money and give tips,” says a Golden Gai employee. “Because of the difference in prices [between Japan and overseas], people from Europe and America seem to think of Golden Gai as a place where they can drink cheaply. Some foreigners get so drunk that they’ll say, ‘I don’t want to pay.’ Then they’ll try to bolt. I once chased [one person] into Kabukicho.”
Now that October has arrived, Halloween looms — and that is perhaps Tokyo at its rowdiest.
Shibuya Ward, famous for its Halloween events, has implemented an ordinance banning drinking on the streets throughout the year, which started from October 1. The move was made since young people and foreigners drinking on the streets had became commonplace and there were a series of problems over noise and littering.
“While there is an increase in vigilance against Halloween events in Shibuya, there were also people in Shinjuku last year who dressed up in Halloween costumes and drank on the streets,” an investigative source says. “With the jump in tourists, we are wary that this year’s Halloween in Shinjuku will be a big deal.”