Car-free zone to reopen in Akihabara after 2008 stabbing spree+

TOKYO, May 24 Kyodo -
A pedestrian shopping zone may reopen in Tokyo's Akihabara district, a popular
electronics area, as early as mid-July, as a local group seeks to break its
suspension due to a stabbing rampage there in 2008 that left seven dead and 10
others injured, sources familiar with the matter said Monday.
A committee on city planning in Akihabara, comprising local residents, shop
owners and police, hopes to reestablish the vehicle-free zone, possibly by July
18, by having Chiyoda Ward file a request with Tokyo's public safety commission
which will make the decision on the matter, the sources said.
The move comes after the committee conducted a survey among residents and shop
operators between February and March and gained some 70 percent support for
restarting the pedestrian zone, which started in 1973 and had been held every
Sunday and holiday afternoons up until the incident.
Tomohiro Kato, a former temporary worker, has been charged with murder and
attempted murder in the indiscriminate stabbing incident on June 8, 2008, and
his trial is still pending.
While some residents were cautious about restarting the practice due to noise
and garbage problems they have experienced, the committee finalized their
opinion on the grounds that it is necessary to boost the local economy, the
sources said.
The committee has worked toward securing safety in the area by formulating
regulations on street performances and illegal shops, installing over 30
surveillance cameras in the busy district center and introducing patrols by
volunteers.
==Kyodo
2010-05-24 23:22:34


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