No.75 Regulation of Smoking on the Street

In the fourth Regular Session of the Inagi City Council in December 2017, the "Ordinance on Restrictions on Smoking in Public Places in Inagi City" was passed and will be enforced starting April 1, 2018. The city is currently preparing for public awareness initiatives, and the details of the ordinance were published in the Inagi Newsletter on January 15, 2018, so please check that as well.
There have been various opinions from citizens regarding street smoking and smoking while walking, and many council members have addressed this issue in the Inagi City Council.
As for tobacco regulations, the prohibition of littering cigarette butts is included in the "Citizen Ordinance for Keeping Inagi City Clean," which was formulated primarily by citizens in 2000.
During the formulation of this ordinance, there was discussion about banning street smoking, but it did not lead to direct regulation. Although there are precedents in other cities, many regulations focus on busy shopping districts. Considering the smoking environment at that time and the opinions from the "Inagi City Citizen Council for Keeping the City Clean," it was decided to treat the issue as a matter of smoker etiquette for the time being and to address it through awareness campaigns and other initiatives.
Until now, we have requested improvements in smoking etiquette during events and awareness activities centered around the citizen council and the environmental beautification movement, but unfortunately, littering of cigarette butts has not ceased.
Furthermore, there has been a growing interest among citizens regarding the effects of secondhand smoke, and many opinions have been expressed about preventing secondhand smoke. This is a problem that cannot be solved merely by regulating littering of cigarette butts, and there are limitations to the regulations of the citizen ordinance for keeping the city clean.
During this time, I included in my election pledge from 2015 to "promote regulation and proper management of smoking in public spaces," consulted the citizen council for countermeasures, and took time to discuss and consider the scope and content of the regulations.
On the other hand, in September 2015, a Submission regarding the prohibition of street smoking and smoking while walking was submitted to the Inagi City Council. This Submission contained harsh opinions regarding the city's previous efforts and called for a ban throughout Inagi City, and it was adopted with the support of all council members.

This ordinance has been developed based on the aforementioned process, following discussions in the internal committee regarding the ordinance proposal.
The two points of regulation are the prevention of passive smoking, which falls under the Health Division's jurisdiction, and the regulation of street smoking, which falls under the Environment Department's jurisdiction. The question was how to relate these two issues and strike a balance.
As a conclusion, it has been decided not to establish smoking areas in front of the station, to prohibit smoking in public places such as roads within the designated no-smoking areas, including a radius of 300 meters from the station, and to impose a duty to make efforts not to smoke while walking throughout the city. This aims to promote both environmental beautification and health improvement, so we appreciate your cooperation.
In the implementation in April 2018, we plan to place smoking prevention instructors in the no-smoking areas to promote awareness and compliance with the ordinance.
Additionally, there is a provision that allows for a fine of 2,000 yen for those who violate the prohibited acts specified in the ordinance. Due to the need for a certain period of awareness-raising, we plan to start the application of this penalty within three years, taking into account the trends in the dissemination and enlightenment regarding the ordinance, so we ask for your understanding.