Street performances are fun for many people and give character to streets and communities such as Tokyo's Shibuya, Harajuku, Akihabara and Kichijoji areas. But now such activities may be restricted or banned due to a revision of the Tokyo metropolitan by-law for "the building of safe and secure communities," which took effect April 1.
The revised by-law not only threatens to make Tokyo's busy and crowded areas colorless, uniform and drab but also appears to infringe upon the constitutionally guaranteed right to freedom of expression. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government and the Metropolitan Police Department could use the revised by-law to crush people's attempts to publicize their cause, be it human rights, animal rights or job protests.
The original by-law was enacted in June 2003 to "promote autonomous activities by metropolitan residents and others to prevent crimes" by having residents, business operators, volunteers and municipal governments cooperate with the metropolitan government and the police.