A strange odor and a sudden outbreak of coughing erupts at the luxury Ginza 6 shopping complex in Tokyo on Monday morning, forcing authorities to dispatch a full‑blown emergency response.
According to police, a man sprayed an irritant around a cash‑machine on the mall’s ground floor. The substance was later identified by authorities as a capsaicin‑based spray – the same chemical found in chilli peppers.
The incident generated a commotion that quickly turned into a health crisis. Residents near the ATM reported their throats becoming painful and itchy, and a 70‑year‑old woman told AFP that the spray “started stinging and hurting” as she approached the machine.
By the time I arrived, the commotion had already started, and I thought there might have been a small fire or something, she said. Once I went into the ATM corner, my throat felt scratchy, almost numb.
Firefighters, police officers and ambulance crews hurried onto the scene, with hazmat suits on hand to protect people being evacuated from the mall from the irritant. The road in front of the complex was immediately blocked to contain the situation.
Officials are still looking for the suspect. The incident has seen at least 19 people admitted to hospitals in the surrounding area for treatment of severe respiratory irritation.
As the investigation continues, the Japanese police are urging the public to stay away from the mall until security threats are definitively cleared. The incident underscores the complexity of managing modern security threats in densely populated urban environments such as Tokyo’s eastern districts.
According to police, a man sprayed an irritant around a cash‑machine on the mall’s ground floor. The substance was later identified by authorities as a capsaicin‑based spray – the same chemical found in chilli peppers.
The incident generated a commotion that quickly turned into a health crisis. Residents near the ATM reported their throats becoming painful and itchy, and a 70‑year‑old woman told AFP that the spray “started stinging and hurting” as she approached the machine.
By the time I arrived, the commotion had already started, and I thought there might have been a small fire or something, she said. Once I went into the ATM corner, my throat felt scratchy, almost numb.
Firefighters, police officers and ambulance crews hurried onto the scene, with hazmat suits on hand to protect people being evacuated from the mall from the irritant. The road in front of the complex was immediately blocked to contain the situation.
Officials are still looking for the suspect. The incident has seen at least 19 people admitted to hospitals in the surrounding area for treatment of severe respiratory irritation.
As the investigation continues, the Japanese police are urging the public to stay away from the mall until security threats are definitively cleared. The incident underscores the complexity of managing modern security threats in densely populated urban environments such as Tokyo’s eastern districts.
