A violent altercation involving at least 100 people broke out in an iconic Japanese skyscraper. In an incident some compared to a real-life Like A Dragon brawl, the fight happened late on October 16th, on the 58th floor of the Sunshine 60 building in Ikebukuro, Japan. It is unknown why the Ikebukuro brawl began. According to police, a group of around 100 customers who had been dining at a restaurant suddenly started to punch each other. [Thanks, Asahi Shimbun!]
The members arrested were reportedly not part of formally-designated criminal organizations like the yakuza, but rather were part of “Chinese Dragon”, which is considered an “anti-social group” akin to a gang (they’re sometimes referred to as “quasi-gangsters” or “semi-gangsters”). Investigators stated that the members had gathered at the restaurant to celebrate one of them leaving jail. According to police officers, Chinese Dragon mostly comprises of grandchildren of Japanese orphans from China. Soldiers left them behind after the Japanese repatriation from Huludao after World War II. The restaurant they fought at was a French restaurant that would cost between 7000 JPY to 20,000 JPY for a dinner course. That would equate to around $47 to $134.15.
Sunshine 60 itself is a well-known part of Ikebukuro’s skyline. Until 1985, it was the tallest building in Asia. The attached Sunshine City mall is also the site of Namco Bandai’s Namja Town theme park, and every few months hosts the Sunshine Creation event focusing on the sale of doujinshi and self-published comics.
Netizens were quick to compare the situation to the Yakuza or Like a Dragon series. While the situation was dangerous, the idea of a huge 100-people brawl in the middle of a classy atmosphere does sound like a level from one of the games. Some other netizens have compared it to Tokyo Revengers, which is an anime and manga series on gangs.
Police have not made any arrests as of yet in regards to this. When they arrived at the scene, there were only a few people left and one of them had to go to the hospital for a light head injury.
