Overview
- On Monday Shibuya Ward started issuing immediate 2,000-yen fines to people caught discarding trash in public, with payment accepted in cash, by card or via QR code.
- The fines follow an April revision of the 'Ordinance for Creating a Clean Shibuya Together' that extended penalties beyond public smoking to address visible littering.
- The ward has deployed about 50 patrol officials around Shibuya Station, including staff fluent in English, Chinese and Korean, to explain rules and enforce fines on the street.
- Mayor Ken Hasebe said the measure is meant to preserve the area’s urban environment and he urged all visitors, regardless of nationality, to follow local rules.
- Officials link the step to a sharp rise in visitors and heavy daytime foot traffic that can more than double the ward’s 240,000 residents and say the move could be a model for wider efforts to manage overtourism.