Japan’s Shibuya to fine litterbugs on the spot from June as visitor numbers surge
The initiative, which will see offenders fined US$12.50, reflects a broader rethink of the ward’s earlier decision to remove public rubbish bins
Instead, it is turning to on-the-spot fines as visitor numbers surge and litter piles up.
Under a new campaign branded “If you throw trash, you lose cash”, anyone caught dropping rubbish will be fined 2,000 yen (US$12.50), with enforcement starting on June 1 after a grace period.
The move marks a shift from a policy introduced around 2013, when the ward removed public bins because they were overwhelmed and encouraged people to dispose of waste responsibly themselves.
A decade on, officials say that approach has failed to keep streets clean amid a sharp rise in footfall, including inbound tourists, in one of Tokyo’s busiest commercial and entertainment districts.
The revised Ordinance for Creating a Clean Shibuya Together is a “landmark initiative” that aims to address the “growing littering problem associated with the sharp increase in visitors, including inbound foreign tourists”, city officials say.