Tokyo's Shibuya Ward is carrying out increased patrols in its busy districts as it expects to draw the largest crowds of this year's Halloween period on Saturday.

Ward officials are concerned about possible trouble involving extreme crowding and outdoor consumption of alcohol, as many young people and foreigners may gather around Shibuya Station.

The officials say congestion is expected to peak on Saturday of the last weekend before Halloween, and on October 31.

The ward on Friday night conducted street patrols on a scale nearly three times the usual level.

Staff picked up empty cans and informed people that the ward has banned public drinking.

The staff are also asking stores near Shibuya Station not to sell alcoholic beverages from 6 p.m. on Saturday through 5 a.m. on Sunday.

Shibuya plans to take a similar precaution on October 31. Neighboring Shinjuku Ward will also ban drinking on streets around its Kabukicho entertainment district.

Shibuya official Teshigawara Takeru is asking that people planning to visit the ward during the Halloween period change their schedule, as it is expected to be very crowded.