Akihabara has had a recent security upgrade, 16 surveillance cameras have been positioned around Akihabara some near a school, others around the main streets. Why the recent upgrade in security though?

A year and a half after a vicious attack left seven people dead in Tokyo’s Akihabara district, a neighborhood association activated 16 outdoor surveillance cameras Tuesday in an effort to restore the neighborhood’s reputation.

Akiba,” as the district is known to its fans, is a mecca of electronic gadgets and “otaku” (geek) culture.

“We hope the cameras will deter crimes. And we want to assure the public that Akihabara has become a safe place,” Chiyoda Ward spokesman Kazuhisa Yamaguchi said.

The man accused of this vicious attack that took place on june 8, 2008 in akihabra is Tomohiro Kato, 25. Tomohiro Kato ran people down in a truck then exited the vehicle and began stabbing people in a busy intersection.

The estimated cost for the cameras;

Chiyoda Ward and the Tokyo Metropolitan Government will share the cost — about ¥30 million — of the 50 surveillance cameras with neighborhood associations, Yamaguchi said.