<figure id="attachment_468364" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-468364" style="width: 729px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="515935d2"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/05/87d7efeba16608ee3334c8b739cec28f.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-468364" class="wp-caption-text">The scene immediately after the attack. Police officers surrounded the male victims who were sitting on the street.</figcaption></figure>
<h3><span class="strongInContent"> Tragedy on Kuyakusho Street in the early morning</span></h3>
<p> At around 3:40 a.m. on May 16, four men in their 20s to 50s were attacked by a group of about 10 armed men while they were walking on a street in Kabukicho, Shinjuku. one of them was seriously injured by a stick to the head, but his life was not seriously injured. The Shinjuku Police Department is investigating the whereabouts of the fleeing men on suspicion of attempted murder.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> The incident took place near the intersection of Kuyakusho Dori and Hanamichi Dori. According to the police report, the men who carried out the attack appeared suddenly in several cars and attacked the men. They assaulted the men by punching and kicking them, and some of them beat them with stick-shaped weapons. The incident lasted only a few minutes, and the attackers immediately fled the scene in a car,&#8221; said a national society reporter.</span></p>
<div data-friday-ad-slot="AD_inArticle"></div>
<p> Although the incident occurred in the early morning hours, just before 4:00 a.m., there were many witnesses because it took place in the heart of the downtown area. They said, <span class="strongInContent">&#8220;The men who were attacked seemed to have no idea what was going on.</span> A woman who works at night and was watching the attack said, &#8220;The men who were walking down the street said, &#8216;I&#8217;m going to get you.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> &#8220;The men who were walking on the street said, &#8216;Hey! and &#8216;Golla! and some of them attacked the men who were walking on the street and suddenly started beating each other up. The men who were attacked seemed to be unable to put up much of a fight because of the suddenness of the situation. Some of them were left bleeding from the head as they were beaten. It happened so fast that at first I didn&#8217;t know what had happened.</span></p>
<div data-friday-ad-slot="AD_inArticle"></div>
<p> Another eyewitness, a man, also described the horror of the attack.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> I wondered if there really was such an incident. It was like something out of a movie or TV drama.</span></p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> It was so sudden that other people walking on the street didn&#8217;t know what was going on. The attackers said things like, &#8220;What the hell are you doing? but they were beaten to a pulp. Even when they fell down, several people were kicking them mercilessly.&#8221;</span></p>
<div data-friday-nextpage-lead=" Why did the attacks happen?"></div>
<h3><span class="strongInContent">Gang Members&#8217; Lending and Borrowing of Money Initiated</span></h3>
<p> A gang member revealed that the incident was caused by a dispute between gang members.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> The attack involved three groups. It all started when a member of gang A owed money to a member of gang B. However, when the money was not returned by the due date, the member of gang B was not able to pay back the money. However, when the money was not returned by the due date, B demanded that A &#8216;return the borrowed money,&#8217; and 15 members went to demand the money back, which apparently led to the raid. And the gang member of gang C, who was involved in mediating between A and B, also got involved.</span></p>
<p> How did the lending and borrowing of money escalate into a violent incident?</p>
<div data-friday-ad-slot="AD_inArticle"></div>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> A and B are secondary groups of different organizations, so if they were reluctant to return the money, there would be a dispute. B did not want to be thought of as a group that lent money and could not collect it, so they ended up showing off their power in the form of an attack.</span></p>
<p> Three members of C and one member of A were attacked. Of these, one C&#8217;s gang member was injured enough to enter the ICU. And according to this official, the case has already been closed.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> One of B&#8217;s officials who attacked the attacker has been suspended and one has been excommunicated. In addition, B has paid about 2 million yen to A and C. I don&#8217;t think there will be any more trouble, but there is still a tense atmosphere in the air&#8221;.</span></p>
<p> In Kabukicho, violent incidents between gangs often occur. However, incidents on public streets are quite rare. Those who happened to be there must have been horrified. Even if there was a dispute over the lending or borrowing of money, resolving the situation through violence is never acceptable.</p>
<figure id="attachment_468365" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-468365" style="width: 928px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="f4b25c7b"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/05/3b15d46230647d52510aba754c010acc.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-468365" class="wp-caption-text"> A crowd of onlookers had gathered after hearing the commotion. It is a sight unique to Kabukicho to see this many people gathered so early in the morning, before 4:00 a.m.</figcaption></figure>
<div data-friday-ad-slot="AD_inArticle"></div>
<figure id="attachment_468367" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-468367" style="width: 588px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="acd08638"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2026/05/0f7211dd98ab01cfa33691ba439a824d.jpg" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-468367" class="wp-caption-text"> A male victim being treated in an ambulance. One of the four attackers was seriously injured and was taken to the ICU.</figcaption></figure>


 Blank paper, green

 In the early hours of May 16, four men were attacked by about 10 men with weapons while walking in the streets of Kabukicho, Shinjuku. We asked those who happened to be at the scene to share their "horror stories. What is the background of the incident?

Hey! Hey! Witnesses describe “minutes of terror” in a pre-dawn attack in Kabukicho.

Access Ranking