After years seeing intoxicated revelers flooding the streets on Halloween, Shibuya¡¯s mayor had enough. This year, he is determined to keep things civil in the popular Tokyo nightlife district.

¡°Street drinking in the entertainment district has become a regular occurrence, and we are deeply concerned about the problems stemming from alcohol-related issues as Halloween approaches,¡± Mayor Ken Hasebe told the Foreign Correspondents¡¯ Club of Japan on Thursday.

The mayor made headlines last month when he told would-be partiers to stay away from Shibuya Ward this year for the occasion, citing safety concerns.

In the past few years, Shibuya has become a hot spot for people in costumes celebrating Halloween. But crowd control became an increasing concern in the wake of last year¡¯s crowd crush in Seoul¡¯s Itaewon district. Local businesses in Tokyo have also been forced to clean up trash left behind by crowds in recent years.

Hasebe is worried that this year could see record numbers gather in the district if new measures are not taken.

¡°If the current trend persists, there is a genuine concern that the numbers could soar to around 60,000 or possibly even more,¡± Hasebe said.

The mayor said the ward has sought cooperation from various entities, including the police and railway operators, to come up with crowd-control strategies that go beyond those in place in previous years.

The ward will also be asking stores in areas where street drinking is prohibited to voluntarily suspend sales of alcohol, saying that officials have already reached out to approximately 35 shops.

Officials are planning to increase patrols as part of efforts to prevent people from drinking on the streets. From Oct. 27 to 31, drinking will be prohibited in public spaces in Shibuya between 6 p.m. and 5 a.m.

Around 300 security personnel will be deployed for four days from Oct. 28, monitoring about 10 locations, including Hachiko Square next to Shibuya Station ¡ª a 50% increase in personnel from the previous year.

The mayor said that the current ordinance, which Shibuya established in 2019 to ban outdoor alcohol consumption from Oct. 27 to Nov. 1 ¡ª a measure aimed at curbing incidents of vandalism by intoxicated individuals during Halloween celebrations ¡ª does not involve fines or penalties related to public drinking.

Hasebe said he is not trying to stop people from drinking indoors, such as in nightclubs or at private parties, but that he wants to make sure people party within the rules set by the ward.

¡°Visitors from abroad may not be aware of Shibuya Ward¡¯s regulations,¡± he said. ¡°I want to make sure everyone is aware that street drinking and disruptive behavior are prohibited near Shibuya Station.¡±