Security cameras have been installed on street lights along Tokyo’s high-end shopping boulevard, Omotesando-dori, situated in Shibuya Ward, due to an increase in pick-pocketing and camera voyeurism.

Ten surveillance cameras were installed this week along the boulevard lined with brand retailers, boutiques, and restaurants following persistent requests by an association of Omotesando retailers, Fuji TV reported.

The Tokyo equivalent of Paris’ Champs-Élysée, Omotesando is constantly bustling with Japanese youth, brand-name shoppers and foreign tourists.

However, an increase in crimes from pick-pocketing to voyeuristic photos and videos spurred the association to urge the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department to equip the chic shopping district with security cameras.

In addition, on Jan 1 this year, the nearby Harajuku fashion district was the site of a crime scene when a 21-year-old man plowed his minivan into a crowd along Takeshita Street. Eight people were injured in the attack.

A police spokesman said: “We want to further strengthen our security measures with the combined efforts of local government officials, businesses and the public.”

© Japan Today