Tokyo Police Investigate Substance Spray at Ginza Six Mall

More than 20 people developed sore throats near the Ginza Six luxury shopping complex in Tokyo’s Ginza district on Monday after a person allegedly sprayed an unknown substance, Japanese fire department officials said. The Tokyo Fire Department said 26 people complained of suddenly developing throat pain and felt unwell near the complex, and all but one of them were taken to a hospital.

Their symptoms were believed to be mild, officials said.

Dozens of fire engines and ambulances were parked outside the complex, and the surrounding roads were temporarily closed. Television footage showed firefighters and officials in hazmat suits assisting people, with some being brought out of the building on stretchers.

Tokyo police spokesman Yusuke Koide told AFP that a man sprayed a substance at an ATM on the ground floor of the building. A local fire department official said around 20 people were injured after a report of a smell.

The largest-circulation Yomiuri newspaper said police have detected traces of pepper spray on the wall. Fire department and police officials said an investigation was underway. Yuzo Tsuda, a 78-year-old Tokyo resident, told The Associated Press that he walked toward the shopping complex after having lunch with friends, drawn by the commotion, when he suddenly felt pain in his throat and started coughing.

He said the ache in his throat subsided about an hour later and he did not plan to go to the hospital. A 70-year-old woman who was at the mall told public broadcaster NHK that her throat started stinging and hurting as she approached the ATM. She said once she went into the ATM corner her throat felt scratchy, almost numb.

But shoppers continued to come and go from the building using side entrances. An AFP reporter at the scene saw two people on stretchers being put into an ambulance, while firefighters and officials dressed in hazmat suits brought people from the mall into specialized trucks to examine them.

Public broadcaster NHK said the injuries appeared to be light.