Police were called out to deal with traffic congestion and noise disturbance in the early hours of Thursday after a huge crowd gathered to watch a popular entertainment TV program being filmed at an amusement park in Tokyo.
The problem occurred after Tokyo Broadcasting System Television Inc., known as TBS, put comedian Kurochan into a cage at Toshimaen park in Nerima Ward and told viewers that they could enter the park free of charge to see him. The event was set to continue through the night but was later called off following advice from the police.
The police said they started receiving complaints about congestion near the park soon after midnight.
TBS posted a statement on its website saying, "We did not expect so many people to gather and cause trouble so we canceled the event. We apologize to everyone we have troubled."
It marked the second time the TV show, hosted by popular comedy duo Downtown, has run into trouble with the law.
In May the production crew involved in making the show were handed a warning after forcing a comedian into a car on a Tokyo street as part of the program.
A number of people telephoned to say they had witnessed a kidnapping.