The Kuroko’s Basketball terrorist has not yet been apprehended, but it looks like the threat rate has been reduced from a code red to a code orange at the Tokyo Big Sight event centre. Last year, following anonymous threats against the popular manga Kuroko’s Basketball author, Tadatoshi Fujimaki, several events across Japan were changed to exclude Kuroko’s Basketball related portions or cancelled outright.
While many fans were outraged at both the perpetrator and the authorities who backed down to his demands, considering that threats to Fujimaki’s alma mater, including potentially lethal liquid and suspicious white powder, have been tied to the case, the panic from event hosts was quite understandable.
Now, roughly six months since the threats started, the Tokyo Big Sight event centre has released a statement that starting in May, they will once again allow Kuroko’s Basketball related events to be held there. However, this little ray of sunshine for fans does include a dark thundercloud in the form of increased security measures. While the exact precautions have not yet been disclosed, according to Japanese news blog, Gigazine, considering the measures enforced in past events, these could include:
– Individualising entrance routes
– Mandatory security checks
– Increased security personnel
– Prohibition of trash cans and coin locker use
– The banning of cosplay on event grounds.
Leave it to one guy’s misguided personal vendetta to spoil things for everyone. Here’s hoping they hurry up and catch him.
漫画「黒子のバスケ」にかかる一連の脅迫事案への対応について [東京ビッグサイト（東京国際展示場）]
「黒子のバスケ」イベントについて東京ビッグサイトが5月以降は実施する意向を明らかに [Gigazine]
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