News On Japan

Osaka Expands Indoor Smoking Ban

OSAKA, Apr 02 (News On Japan) - From April 1st, a new regulation took effect across Osaka Prefecture requiring all restaurants with a customer seating area larger than 30 square meters to become entirely smoke-free indoors—unless they install a designated smoking room. Establishments violating the rule face fines of up to 50,000 yen, while customers may be fined up to 30,000 yen.

The move comes just 12 days before the start of the Osaka Expo and is seen as part of broader efforts to present a cleaner, healthier image of the city. While government subsidies of up to 3 million yen are available for installing smoking facilities, only 317 of the estimated 4,000 eligible restaurants have applied so far.

Restaurant owners are expressing concern. One owner of a yakitori restaurant near Hankyu Osaka-Umeda Station, whose floor area exceeds the threshold, said the change poses a serious threat to business: "We’ve already heard from customers that they’ll stop coming if they can't smoke. It’s not just an inconvenience—this could be a matter of survival."

The restaurant opted not to install a smoking room, citing space limitations. "We can't afford to reduce our seating capacity. It would kill our customer numbers," the owner explained.

Smokers are also reacting with frustration. Some said they would avoid restaurants that don’t allow smoking, even if the food is excellent. "If I can't smoke there, I just won't go," one smoker said. Others described the new restrictions as "painful" or "too strict."

On the other hand, non-smokers have welcomed the change. "It’s great," said one patron. "I worry about secondhand smoke, so this makes it easier to go out to eat." Another added, "I’ve been looking for non-smoking places. This makes a big difference."

In addition to indoor bans, Osaka City has already prohibited smoking on all public streets since January. To accommodate this, the city has increased the number of designated smoking areas from 171 to 350. Still, some argue it's not enough.

Jun Nakamura, an associate professor at Kinki University, noted that indoor smoking bans reflect a global trend and help reduce health risks from secondhand smoke. While understanding the reasoning behind street smoking bans as a matter of urban aesthetics, he emphasized the importance of balance.

"Tobacco is still widely sold, and the tax revenue is significant—about 30 billion yen just in Osaka City. If restrictions are enforced, governments must also ensure there are places for smokers to go," Nakamura said. "We need to find a compromise where both smokers and non-smokers can coexist."

Source: MBS NEWS

News On Japan
POPULAR NEWS

The Japanese government will begin issuing blue tickets for bicycle traffic violations in April 2026, with fines including 5,000 yen for ignoring stop signs and up to 12,000 yen for riding while using a smartphone.

A 26-year-old woman was arrested in the early hours of April 24th in Kasuya Town, Fukuoka Prefecture, on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol. While admitting to the offense, she claimed, "I ate chocolate that contained alcohol."

A man found wandering naked in Saitama Prefecture has been arrested after a string of violent incidents, including a fatal hit-and-run and an attempted abduction, unfolded within roughly 90 minutes on April 21st.

The total number of visitors to Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai surpassed one million on April 23rd, just 11 days after the event began. Despite being a weekday, the venue remained crowded, with long lines forming at popular pavilions such as the one from the United States.

At the Shanghai Motor Show, which opened to the press on April 23rd ahead of its public run from April 27th to May 2nd, Toyota Motor Corporation revealed a series of new models, including a new electric vehicle, as it works to regain ground in the increasingly competitive Chinese market.

MEDIA CHANNELS
         

MORE Travel NEWS

Universal Studios Japan has announced a surprise expansion of its popular Minion Park, increasing the area by 1.4 times and unveiling a new attraction that features the park’s first-ever moving walkway.

Japan has seen a dramatic surge in tourism over the past decade, with visitor numbers tripling, bringing both economic benefits and greater intercultural exchange. However, this growth has also led to issues of "overtourism," especially on trains—the country's most popular means of transport—where overcrowding and cultural misunderstandings about behavior have caused concern among locals.

Japan plans to introduce a new electronic travel authorization system to bolster immigration screening for foreign visitors, moving up its original timeline in response to the recent surge in arrivals.

The total number of visitors to Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai surpassed one million on April 23rd, just 11 days after the event began. Despite being a weekday, the venue remained crowded, with long lines forming at popular pavilions such as the one from the United States.

Foreign tourists are lining up to visit some of Tokyo’s most photogenic spring attractions, with Nezu Shrine in Bunkyo Ward drawing crowds on April 22nd as vibrant late-blooming azaleas reached their peak.

Shibata Town, known for its flourishing cherry blossoms, has embraced a tree ownership system to pass the beauty of its roughly 400 commemorative trees—planted to mark births, marriages, and other milestones—on to future generations.

Service on the Suruga Bay Ferry, which connects Shimizu Port in Shizuoka City and Toi Port in Izu, Shizuoka Prefecture, resumed on April 18th after a suspension of about three months.

Welcome back to the Ginza Line Walking Tour. This is part 2 of 6. Today, let’s pick up from where we left off—Aoyama-itchome—and walk past the vast Akasaka Imperial Residence toward Akasaka-mitsuke. (Video Street View Japan)