Tokyo, overwhelmed by foreign tourists, is pushing for an ordinance that would impose fines to tackle street litter.
A record 42.68 million foreign tourists visited Japan in 2025, according to the Japan National Tourism Organization (JNTO) on the 20th. That is about 10 million more than in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic, when the figure stood at 31.9 million.
Street litter has become a growing problem in Tokyo, where tourists concentrate. Shinjuku Ward collected 164 tons of trash from its entertainment districts last year, 26 tons more than in 2019.
The Tokyo metropolitan government has stepped up discussions on an ordinance banning illegal dumping, aiming to put it into effect in 2028. If fines are actually collected, it would be the first such case among Japan's prefecture-level governments.
Tokyo is looking to Shibuya Ward as a precedent. The ward began collecting fines of 2,000 yen for illegal dumping in June. On busy days, 60 patrol officers monitor the streets around the clock. About 1,500 people were subject to fines from June through September, a quarter of them foreigners.
### Trash Bins Vanished After Terror Attack — Now They're Coming Back
Alongside tighter enforcement, officials say the shortage of trash bins must also be addressed. Surveys by the Japan Tourism Agency have found that a lack of trash bins has been the most frequently cited inconvenience among foreign visitors since 2019.
Trash bins disappeared from Japanese streets after the 1995 sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway by the Aum Shinrikyo cult. Beyond terrorism concerns, the illegal disposal of household waste and the cost of handling it have also discouraged installation.
Recently, areas crowded with tourists have begun reinstalling bins. A shopping district in Kyoto's Arashiyama installed six solar-powered smart bins that automatically compact waste last year, the first in eight years.
Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward plans to put 22 smart bins into operation in Akihabara next month. The Tokyo metropolitan government intends to include obligations for businesses in the new ordinance, expanding trash bins at stations and other public places while pairing enforcement against illegal dumping with better disposal facilities.