The Comic Market Preparations Committee, the organizers of the largest dōjinshi event in the world, reported on Monday that three threat letters were discovered in the area once reserved for Kuroko's Basketball circles. The letters were found after Comiket 83 closed on its second day, Sunday. As a result, the committee discussed the issue with the Tokyo Big Sight exhibition center and the police, and then put the event on highest alert for the remaining third day.
The event had decided to bar all Kuroko's Basketball circles from participating after receiving a threat letter on October 29. About 900 fan circles reserved tables to sell self-published items inspired by the Kuroko's Basketball manga and anime, but the committee refunded their entrance fees. According to the committee, the three new letters are considered to be copycat threats.
The 900 barred circles represented about 8% of the total number of circles (11,700) on Sunday. People were allowed, but not encouraged, to sit down and use the former Kuroko's Basketball block as a resting area. The committee's Monday notice discussed the event's increased security patrols and announced bag checks, although ANN's reporter was not subjected to a bag check on Sunday. The committee apologized to attendees for the inconvenience caused by the threats and weekend rain, and thanked them for their support.
