Police were called out to deal with traffic congestion and noise disturbance in the early hours of Thursday after a huge crowd gathered to watch a popular entertainment TV program being filmed at an amusement park in Tokyo.

The problem occurred after Tokyo Broadcasting System Television Inc., known as TBS, encaged comedian Kurochan in Toshimaen park in Nerima Ward and told viewers that they could enter the park free of charge to see him. The event was set to continue through the night but was called off following advice from the police.

(TBS headquarters in Tokyo)

It marked the second time the TV show, hosted by the popular comedy duo Downtown, has been in trouble with the law. In May the production crew involved in making the show were handed a warning for forcing a comedian into a car on a Tokyo street, after a number of people called in to say they had witnessed a kidnapping.

The police said they started receiving complaints about congestion near the park around 12:20 a.m.

TBS posted a statement on its website, saying, "We did not expect so many people to gather and cause trouble so we canceled the event. We apologize to everyone we have troubled."