Photo/Illutration The Tokyo District Court and the Tokyo High Court are located in this building the capital’s Chiyoda Ward. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

A building housing two Tokyo courts temporarily closed to the public after it received a bomb threat on the morning of Nov. 14.

The warning claimed someone would blow up the building at 1:30 p.m. that day, according to officials from the Tokyo High Court.

The Tokyo District Court and the Tokyo High Court, which are both located in the building in the capital’s Chiyoda Ward, restricted entry between noon and 2 p.m. They also canceled all court proceedings scheduled for between 1 p.m. and 2:29 p.m.

The threat turned out to be prank.

As of 2:30 p.m., no attack had been carried out, so things began to return to business as usual. Security lifted restrictions on visitors, and court proceedings resumed after 2:30 p.m.

It follows a similar incident on Nov. 7 involving the Tokyo Bar Association, which is located just next door to this building. It had received a bomb threat that day, which claimed someone would blow up the sixth floor of its building on Nov. 10.

The Tokyo Bar Association, as well as the Japan Federation of Bar Associations and other organizations in the building, closed off some floors and paused work on Nov. 10, but it was not attacked.

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