Kyodo: Police file papers on event organizers over singer Hamasaki
Police on Thursday sent prosecutors papers on three companies and 11 employees that organized an outdoor event featuring pop singer Ayumi Hamasaki without permission in Tokyo's Shibuya Ward in April. The companies, including Hamasaki's agent Avex Management Inc., are charged with violating the road traffic law in holding the 15-minute event designed to mark the publication of her book on the afternoon of April 7. The event was held in an open space in front of the fashion emporium Shibuya 109, causing crowds to flood onto the streets. About 3,000 people swarmed to the venue, disrupting the traffic on the streets, according to the Tokyo police. All of the 11 employees have admitted to the charge, police said, quoting them as saying they knew they would not be able to get permission to use the road if they sought advance notice and would probably have had to cancel the event plan. Avex had claimed it knew nothing of the situation because the other companies were tasked with organizing the event. But an investigation led Tokyo police to conclude that Avex was responsible in part for causing the trouble, according to investigative sources. The police did not question Hamasaki herself because they thought she was not directly involved in the process of planning the event.
Spotted by News On Japan
