A former ward assemblyman talks about whether Taito Ward, where the 420 million yen robbery took place, is really a “unsafe town”…?

The 4 worst 23 wards in the “Criminal Offense Encounter Rate” ranking No. 1

A robbery of a huge sum of 420 million yen occurred in Taito Ward, Tokyo. The crime took place in Higashi Ueno, where I live.

The sheer size of the sum, coupled with the fact that it was so large, sent shockwaves through the local community.

When I heard the news of the incident, I was surprised,

I was surprised and at the same time thought to myself, “Is this another case in Taito Ward?

…….

Taito City has been mentioned in news reports in the case of the murder of Mr. and Mrs. Takarajima in 1949 and the case of Kabuki actor Nakamura Tsurumatsu reported earlier this year.

Taito Ward, Taito Ward…”

and the case of Kabuki actor Nakamura Tsurumatsu reported earlier this year, the image of Taito City as a “unsafe neighborhood” has often been used in news reports.

According to the “Tokyo Public Safety Ranking 2025” released by security company ALSOK on December 26, 2013, Taito City ranks fourth worst among the 23 wards in terms of the “criminal offense encounter rate,” the number of criminal offenses per resident.

Taito City is the smallest of Tokyo’s 23 wards, with an area of only about 10 square kilometers. Am I the only one who thinks that the city somehow carries a “dangerous” image that is even greater than its numbers?

Looking back on its history, Taito Ward has been an area that has taken care of the “periphery” of the city since the Edo period (1603-1867).

The Yoshiwara prostitute quarters, the setting of last year’s historical drama, shrines and temples such as Kan’eiji and Sensoji, cemeteries where famous people are buried, and Saruwaka-cho, the center of Kabuki theater, are just a few examples. It was also a place where people gathered, flowed, and sometimes chaos ensued.

In the postwar period, this trend became even more pronounced.

Subsidies for the installation of security cameras are double the amount of other wards.

A black market sprang up around Ueno and Shinobazu Pond, where demobilized soldiers, repatriates, foreigners, and people who had lost their jobs were concentrated. The police force was not sufficient, and there was indeed a period when violent clashes between foreign residents and Japanese yakuza were frequent.

Memories of this period of postwar confusion,

Taito City = Dangerous

The memory of this period of postwar turmoil may have been the original image of “Taito City = Dangerous”.

This memory has remained to this day as a “story” that is difficult to update even as the times change.

On the other hand, what about Taito City today?

Ueno Station is the northern gateway to the city. Ueno Onshi Park is home to the Tokyo National Museum, the World Heritage Site of the National Museum of Western Art, and the cultural zone of Ueno Zoo, known for its pandas. Asakusa, which attracts about 40 million visitors a year.

Asakusa is a jewelry district lined with jewelry stores and a street commonly known as Butsudan Street, known for its concentration of Buddhist altars and Buddhist altars. Ameyoko, which has become a New Year’s tradition, and Kuramae, where cafes and unique stores have increased. ……, to name a few, have become so attractive that there is no end to the number of places to visit.

The daily life that I see in Kuramae is the usual scene of people greeting their neighbors every morning, tourists taking pictures, children playing in the park, and so on.

Furthermore, the town as a whole is becoming more and more aware of crime prevention every year.

In 2005, the city enacted an anti-touting ordinance to crack down on the Chuo-dori Street, which had been famous for vicious touts. In addition, the ward and the police cooperate in providing counseling on “protection money” for restaurants and other establishments, and these measures have been steadily having an effect.

In August 2013, Taito City began offering a subsidy for the installation of security cameras at twice the amount of other wards. The fact that there are currently 500 applications for the subsidy is an indication of the high level of crime prevention awareness among citizens.

The recent robbery of 420 million yen is an extremely unusual case even by national standards. If one were to take this as an event that symbolizes “everyday life in Taito City” and talk about the city, the image of the city would inevitably be distorted.

Fragments of news stories accumulate, and before we know it, the entire area is lumped together under the single word “dangerous. We need to stop and think about this structure itself.

Taito City is a tourist destination, a downtown area, and a residential area.

People come and go day and night, and there is a large influx of people from the outside. Being a city with a “structure that is prone to incidents” and being a city where “residents’ daily lives are constantly at risk” are by no means synonymous.

Taito City may be a city that is prone to bear such a narrative due to its historical background and geographical characteristics.