TOKYO (TR) – Tokyo Metropolitan Police have raided an eatery in a bustling commercial district in Ueno, Taito Ward for repeatedly setting up illegal outdoor seating and blocking public thoroughfares.
The businesses continued to operate illegally despite having received more than 100 prior warnings, reports TBS News (Nov. 7).
On Saturday evening, officers searched Tori Gekijo, an establishment in the Ameyoko market, on suspicion of violating the Road Traffic Act.
Investigators seized 19 items used to accommodate outdoor diners on public streets, including tables, chairs, and signboards.
According to police, management at Tori Gekijo had been issued administrative guidance and official warnings an astonishing 101 times since late December of last year, yet continuously defied orders to clear the road.
During Monday’s raid, police also issued on-the-spot warnings to 11 neighboring eateries operating unauthorized street-side tables.
The crackdown comes amid a surge of complaints from local residents and passersby to the emergency 110 hotline, reporting obstructed walkways and neighborhood nuisances. Between December last year and the end of September, the Metropolitan Police Department has issued over 2,500 warnings to businesses in the Ameyoko area over concerns that unauthorized road occupation impedes pedestrians and prevents emergency vehicles from passing.
“We ask for the public’s cooperation in creating a safe road environment where both pedestrians and vehicles can pass without obstruction,” a police spokesperson said.
