The Hostage Incident That Made Cup Noodles Famous
The Asama-Sanso incident
Many of you might have seen Nissin’s Cup Noodles before. Did you know there was a major incident that suddenly made this product famous?
The incident happened from February 19 to February 28, 1972, in Nagano Prefecture, Japan, where a new left-wing organization called the United Red Army took hostages and barricaded themselves. The criminals were being chased by the police for committing several bank robberies and attacking gun stores.
While being chased by the police, the criminals barricaded themselves in a mountain lodge owned by a health insurance company. Originally, there were 29 members, but the number decreased due to escapes, arrests, or lynching by fellow members, ending up with only 5 people. Guests and the manager were out, leaving only the manager’s wife as a hostage.
“Asama Lodge” stood on a steep cliff, where merciless bullets would rain down if attacked from below, and if one went around to the top, they would be shot through seven holes made in the walls, making it an impregnable fortress.
Also, the police officers at the scene were given strict orders from the then National Police Agency Commissioner to prevent the glorification of the members, such as “no use of guns” and “criminals must be captured alive.”
Therefore, the police’s strategy was the now legendary “Iron Ball Operation,” where a wrecking ball used for demolishing buildings was used to break the walls of the lodge. This operation was carried out under gunfire at the frontline and was broadcast live on TV, reaching a viewership rate of 89.7%.
There were 3 deaths (2 riot squad members and 1 civilian) and 27 injuries (26 riot squad members and 1 reporter). On the 10th day, February 28, the unit made a forcible entry, safely rescued the hostage, and all 5 criminals were arrested. The hostage was held for 219 hours (about 9 days), making it the longest hostage incident in Japan while surrounded by the police.
Now, about Cup Noodles. This product was launched 5 months before the Asama Lodge incident. The company that made Cup Noodles, Nissin, also created the world’s first instant ramen, “Chicken Ramen.” The founder of Nissin came up with the idea of developing noodles in a cup after visiting America and seeing locals pouring hot water into a paper cup of Chicken Ramen for tasting.
At that time, while bagged noodles were 25 yen, Cup Noodles were 100 yen. Therefore, they weren’t sold much in stores. So, they actively marketed to fire stations and police stations where there were many night shifts. Jobs that suddenly require going out on a call were perfect for Cup Noodles, as they could be eaten immediately after pouring hot water.
There were 3,000 police officers at the scene of the Asama Lodge incident. Prepared bento boxes quickly froze in the minus 15 degrees Celsius weather. Cup Noodles were distributed as emergency food here. As long as hot water could be boiled, hot noodles could be eaten.
And that footage was repeatedly broadcast on live TV. The Asama Lodge incident, which nearly every Japanese household watched live on TV, glued to their screens.
“What are the police officers eating?”
“I want to try that.”
Japanese people love new things. Right after the Asama Lodge incident, Cup Noodles became a big hit.
Thank you for reading until the end.
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P.S. I am writing this article on Tuesday, February 20th. I will be out from Wednesday to Friday, so I might be unable to reply to comments until the weekend. Rest assured, I will read all the comments I receive. By the way, I have scheduled posts for the next few days.😉
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Source : Wikipedia 「あさま山荘事件」
週刊女性PRIME「「あさま山荘事件」を機にヒット！販売休止に“謎肉”の正体、500億食超え『カップヌードル』の挑戦」
