Tokyo considers littering fine to tackle growing trash issue in popular areas

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government is considering introducing a fine, via an ordinance, to punish littering in the capital, aiming to combat an increasing amount of litter in popular areas as record-breaking numbers of tourists continue to visit.

“We will collaborate with experts to explore effective measures, including an ordinance, to maintain a clean and comfortable urban environment,” Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike said in her policy speech at the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly last Friday.

A panel of waste management experts under the metropolitan government met last month to look into action that can be taken to tackle the problem, at Koike’s request.

Over half a billion people visited Tokyo in 2025, including a record 28.65 million foreign nationals, and trash issues have become a prominent concern for residents.

In a crowded downtown district in Shinjuku Ward, the amount of trash collected by street cleaners between April and November increased for the sixth consecutive year in 2025. Street inspections have shown that in hot spots like Ebisu and Harajuku in Shibuya Ward, the amount of litter has jumped in the past few years.

While the waste management panel is discussing the details of potential prefecture-wide littering measures, some local governments in Tokyo have already implemented their own rules that include fines.

Most notably, Shibuya Ward began imposing a ¥2,000 penalty in June after littering increased in the area, following a rise in the number of visitors since pandemic restrictions were lifted. Around 60 roving ward-safety patrol members, of whom 15 are multilingual, enforce the fine, which is paid on the spot.

In Shinjuku Ward, littering of empty cans has been banned in designated beautification areas since 1997, with violators fined up to ¥20,000. From October, a wider variety of discarded food containers, such as wrappers, straws and chopsticks, will also be subject to the ban.

In addition to the potential ordinance, the metropolitan government is also promoting anti-littering measures through its “Keep Tokyo Clean” initiative.

These include installing more trash cans, which largely vanished from public areas in Japan after a 1995 sarin gas attack in Tokyo’s subway system by members of the Aum Shinrikyo religious group.

According to surveys by the Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry, the lack of trash cans remains the most common difficulty foreign tourists face in Japan.

The metropolitan government is subsidizing the installation of smart and explosion-proof trash receptacles and recycling bins by other authorities in the capital. It is also providing funding to help cover measures such as trash patrols, measures to raise awareness, cleanup events and littering research for municipalities that seek assistance.

There is no national law against littering in Japan, which leaves restrictions to local governments. According to the Environment Ministry, 61% of 1,741 municipalities surveyed had an ordinance against littering in 2023, including about 84% of those in Tokyo.

Several prefectures, such as Tottori, Saitama, and Hokkaido, have also enacted littering ordinances that can include fines in certain situations.

Many other major cities around the world have implemented fines for littering. People in Singapore can be fined 300 Singapore dollars ($235) for littering, while in New York the penalty can reach up to $400.