Counterfeit Brands Sold on Harajuku’s Takeshita Street; Guinean Man Arrested Over Allegation of Possessing Fake Brand Clothes

The Yomiuri Shimbun

13:59 JST, March 28, 2024

As Harajuku’s Takeshita Street bustles once again with young visitors since the COVID-19 pandemic subsided, incidents where students are pressured into buying counterfeit brand goods are on the rise.

The Metropolitan Police Department are becoming increasingly vigilant as it is believed that vendors are targeting students visiting the Tokyo hotspot on their spring break.

The police on Wednesday arrested a Guinean national in his 50s for allegedly violating the Trademark Law. The man was suspected of possessing several items, including a counterfeit hoodie of the popular U.S. brand Stussy, for the purpose of selling them at a clothing store near Takeshita Street. The police are investigating the supplier.

Since last year, the Metropolitan Police Department has received reports from approximately 60 junior and senior high school students from 21 prefectures that they were sold counterfeit goods on Takeshita Street. Many of them were pressured to buy products without price tags, being told that they are cheaper than the official price.