Photo/Illutration A shortage of trash cans is fueling the littering problem in Tokyo’s Shibuya district. (Sho Hatsumi)

Tokyo’s Shibuya Ward will require convenience stores and cafes to install trash cans starting in April to curb littering in one of the capital’s busiest districts.

Under the new rule, food and drink vendors near Shibuya, Harajuku and Ebisu stations must place trash cans at their outlets. Businesses that fail to comply could face fines of up to 50,000 yen ($320) beginning in June.

Ward officials said this is the first such mandate in Tokyo, and few exist around Japan. 

“We are overhauling our approach to littering,” Shibuya Mayor Ken Hasebe said on Dec. 18.

Shibuya Ward said it will not provide additional ward-managed trash cans, arguing that the cost should not fall on local taxpayers, given the large number of visitors from outside the area. Instead, responsibility will lie with businesses selling products that generate waste.

However, officials said they would support local shop owners who install trash cans in public spaces to help address the problem.

The decision follows a sharp rise in littering fueled by a surge in tourism since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A ward survey found that 63 percent of litter around the three stations came from convenience stores, while 12 percent originated from cafes.

Of roughly 300 stores surveyed across the ward, only 68 percent had waste containers installed.

The shortage of public trash cans has also been highlighted at the national level.

A Japan Tourism Agency survey conducted a year ago found that 21.9 percent of visitors cited the lack of trash cans as a major inconvenience during their stay in Japan, second only to those who reported no problems at all.

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