Here is a follow up story from the Stars & Stripes on the recent travel warning given by the State Department concerning the popular nightlife neighborhood of Roppongi in Tokyo:

Roppongi is a neighborhood in central Tokyo filled with diverse entertainment offerings. During the day, visitors can see world-famous art and eat at top-rated restaurants. At night, workers from dance and strip clubs take over the sidewalks, barking at passers-by in an attempt to lure them inside.

On March 13, the embassy released a security notice to its staff and to military personnel in Japan, warning them to avoid certain clubs in the Roppongi neighborhood. Some Americans, the notice said, reported their drinks were spiked and their credit cards were overcharged.

U.S. military officials reported similar cases in recent weeks. In one, two customers from Yokota Air Base said they were drugged, and their credit cards were charged $1,600 each, according to Lt. Col. Mark Milam, the staff judge advocate for the 374th Airlift Wing.

Yet Tokyo police said they’ve had no reports of drugging among foreign customers. In more recent days, they did get three complaints from Japanese people saying their credit cards were overcharged at clubs in Roppongi, according to a police spokesman. No drugs were involved, he said.

The embassy’s notice shocked some club owners, especially those named as the alleged scenes of the crimes.

“We are troubled very much,” said a manager of Climax, who asked not to be named and denied that any of the allegations happen in his club. “We have not been charged by the police or have not been investigated.”

The manager learned of the notice through his customers and by reading about it in the local newspapers. He said he contacted owners of other clubs named in the notice, who also were surprised.

Chris Omoregbee, the owner of Exotic City, echoed the response.

“We never had claims from our clients and credit card company,” said Omoregbee, who said some of his customers include servicemembers. “They have no proof. … It’s a mix-up.”

Last week, a U.S. Forces Japan official tempered the embassy’s notice slightly, saying that in recent weeks a handful of servicemembers had reported their credit cards were overcharged in Roppongi.

But USFJ had no reports that the incidents involved drugging, according to James Brophy, an official with the USFJ Provost Marshal’s Office. The cases also involved an “overindulgence of alcohol,” he added.

“[Roppongi] has somewhat of a history of criminal activities,” Brophy said and advised those who are planning to enjoy the Tokyo nightlife to drink responsibly and travel in a group. “While Japan does have a very low crime rate, there are still threats out there.”  [Stars & Stripes]

I have been to Roppongi before and unless it has changed drastically in the past couple of years, I found it to be nicer then Itaewon and just as safe.  Has anyone been to Roppongi lately that can clarify how dangerous this neighborhood really has become?