TOKYO (TR) – A 14-year-old girl plunged to her death from a multitenant building in the Kabukicho red-light district of Shinjuku Ward earlier this week. Tokyo Metropolitan Police suspect she had overdosed on drugs, reports TV Asahi (Oc. 14).
At around 5:30 p.m. on Monday, a pedestrian alerted emergency services. “A person has fallen,” the caller said.
According to the Shinjuku Police Station, the middle school student jumped from the landing of the building’s stairs and struck a male pedestrian, aged in his 20s.
The girl was later confirmed dead at a hospital. The pedestrian suffered a head injury. However, his injuries are not considered life-threatening, police said.
The incident took place in an area of bars, restaurants and love hotels, located about 200 meters from the Shinjuku Ward Office.
The girl is believed to have been a member of the group known as “Toyoko Kids.” Popularized on social media as toyoko, the name is a reference to the Toho Cinemas complex in the heart of Kabukicho. Members are typically runaways and delinquents.
Just before the incident, the girl may have overdosed on over-the-counter medication, police said.
Drug overdoses among young people in Kabukicho has become a concern for the Tokyo Metropolitan Police. As such, the department operates the “Young Telephone Corner” hotline (03-3580-4970). The service provides counselling to persons under the age of 20 and their families 24 hours a day.
AloJapan.com