OSAKA - Nearly a year has passed since Osaka banned smoking on streets across the entire city, but reporting on the ground has found growing frustration from residents and smokers alike, along with business owners warning they are reaching their limits.
"Excuse me—did you know you can’t smoke here?" one patrol worker asks, as smokers are still frequently seen lighting up in public despite the rule introduced by ordinance in January last year ahead of the Osaka-Kansai Expo.
Osaka became the first government-designated city in Japan to enforce a citywide street-smoking ban, collecting a 1,000 yen penalty from violators, and the city has strengthened enforcement by increasing the number of patrol instructors from 17 in January last year to 92.
In areas popular with tourists, including parts of Minami, foreign visitors have been among those caught smoking, with confusion growing over signage that may say "smoking area" in English without clearly indicating in Japanese that the smoking space is located inside a store, while instructors also only accept cash, leading to awkward situations when violators do not have enough money on hand.
Osaka City says street-smoking rates have fallen by about 40% over the past year, but during just one hour of reporting, patrol instructors confirmed 18 violations, showing that smoking and littering cigarette butts remain visible across the city.
Many smokers argue they have nowhere to go, saying designated smoking areas are far too few, and Osaka has received 71 requests calling for more smoking spots since the ordinance took effect, despite the city securing around 400 smoking locations as part of the policy.
In one office district where complaints were concentrated, reporters found designated smoking spaces overflowing with people, with smokers spilling outside, and only two smoking areas available in the entire neighborhood, prompting one man to plead, "It’s not enough at all—please build a lot more smoking areas."
However, businesses that cooperate by installing smoking rooms say the cost is crushing, with one tobacco shop that set up a smoking area using Osaka City subsidies saying maintenance costs alone reach about 100,000 yen per month, including heating and professional cleaning, adding that the subsidy payments will not arrive until the next fiscal year.
The owner, marking 50 years in business, said the shop posted its first deficit this year and warned that continuing under the current burden is unrealistic, declaring, "I can’t do it anymore. If they tell me to keep going, I’ll close for good."
In some areas, removing street ashtrays has led to an increase in cigarette-butt littering in flower beds and other spots, forcing local shopping streets to spend more time cleaning, while some residents also fear fire risks after incidents of small blazes linked to discarded cigarettes.
In response, Osaka City says it will provide subsidies to expand smoking areas in 63 locations where street smoking and littering remain frequent, calling on private businesses to cooperate, but local leaders say even where smoking spaces already exist, some people still smoke outside and toss cigarette butts nearby.
Security guards patrolling commercial districts also say they often cannot intervene, as only Osaka City instructors have the authority to issue penalties, and experts argue that simply increasing smoking areas will not solve the issue unless enforcement and public awareness are strengthened.
Specialists also point to the role of tobacco tax revenue, noting Osaka City collects more than 30 billion yen annually from tobacco taxes and arguing that allocating more of that money to improve the environment could help create a city where both smokers and non-smokers can live more comfortably.
Some experts estimate that the current figure of around 400 smoking locations may need to rise to as many as 3,000 to meet demand, but balancing public comfort, enforcement, and the desire to limit exposure to secondhand smoke remains a difficult challenge for the city.
Source: KTV NEWS
