Emergency personnel work outside the Ginza Six luxury shopping complex in Tokyo's Ginza district, Japan, 25 May 2026. Authorities said there is information that a man allegedly sprayed a substance inside the building's first floor, causing irritation to more than 20 people who complained of health issues including sore throats. Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department is investigating the cause. Photo: VCG

At around noon on Monday, emergency services received a 119 call reporting a strange odor near the commercial complex GINZA SIX in Tokyo's Ginza district, Japan's Kyodo news reported. 

Kyodo news cited Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department and Tokyo Fire Department as saying that 25 people ranging in age from their 20s to 80s complained of throat pain and other symptoms, with 19 of them taken to hospital. All were reportedly conscious.

Witness accounts indicated that someone may have sprayed what appeared to be tear gas near an ATM inside a bank branch located on the first floor of the facility. Police are investigating the incident.

When Japanese reporters arrived at the scene at around 1 pm, several firefighters wearing orange protective suits and masks were seen entering the bank entrance on the first floor of GINZA SIX, Kyodo news reported. 

The surrounding area was cordoned off, with more than 10 ambulances, including specialized emergency vehicles, dispatched to the scene.