Yokohama to Implement Full Smoking Ban in Parks

Mar 08, 2024 | News On Japan

YOKOHAMA - Yokohama City has compiled a policy proposal to make all of its approximately 2,700 parks, including the prominent tourist attraction Yamashita Park, completely smoke-free starting April next year.

According to the city's proposal, the total smoking ban will apply to all parks managed by the city, which are frequented by many people, including children, such as Yamashita Park and Harbor View Park. The city plans to revise the park ordinance to include "smoking" as a prohibited act, and to implement the total smoking ban from April of the following year. Those who violate the ban could face a penalty fee of up to 50,000 yen.

Currently, Yokohama City has designated smoking prohibition areas in eight locations, including around Yokohama Station and the Minato Mirai district. However, regarding parks, the city had only requested consideration, such as not smoking near children and playground equipment. From October to November last year, the city conducted a pilot test to make five parks, including Yamashita Park, completely smoke-free and surveyed over 2,000 park users. The results showed that many called for stronger measures against secondhand smoke. This month, the city plans to announce the full smoking ban policy proposal and proceed with the necessary procedures for amending the ordinance, including soliciting opinions from the public.

Source: NHK

Typhoons No. 28 and 29 Bring High Waves to Japan's Pacific Coast

Two typhoons moving across the Pacific southeast of Japan are expected to remain well away from the Japanese mainland, but powerful swells could bring rough seas to a wide stretch of the country's Pacific coastline throughout the three-day holiday weekend, according to forecasts updated at 3 a.m. on October 10.

Cyberattacks Spread Across Japan

A series of cyberattacks has disrupted business operations and exposed millions of customer records across Japan, with a ransomware attack on a cloud service provider affecting 495 companies and local governments nationwide, while convenience store operator Lawson has disclosed a separate breach involving more than 2.15 million personal information records.

Japan's First 360-Degree Projection Mapping Opens in Osaka

Japan's first 360-degree projection mapping show will open at the Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts on October 10, transforming the historic building into an immersive world of light, music, and seasonal imagery, with organizers hoping the attraction will also help stimulate the city's nighttime economy.

Tokyo University Professor Wins Nobel Prize in Chemistry

Tokyo University of Science professor emeritus Kenzo Soai has been awarded this year's Nobel Prize in Chemistry together with French chemist Henri B. Kagan for discoveries that transformed scientists' understanding of how chemical reactions can favor one of two mirror-image forms of a molecule.

US Military Halts All Okinawa Operations for 48 Hours

The US military suspended activities by all forces stationed in Okinawa for 48 hours from noon on October 7, an unusual measure following the arrest of a US Marine in connection with a robbery and murder case that has renewed scrutiny of crimes involving American service members.

MEDIA CHANNELS

MORE Society NEWS

Most Sightings of Fugitive Yoichi Hatta Reported in Kanto

Police in Oita Prefecture have revealed that the Kanto region accounts for the largest number of reported sightings of Yoichi Hatta, a fugitive wanted in connection with a fatal hit-and-run incident in Beppu in 2022, with authorities preparing to distribute new wanted posters nationwide from November as the search enters its fifth year.