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 efforts, 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 smoking on the streets and smoking while walking, and many council members have also addressed this issue in the city council.
As a regulation regarding tobacco, the littering of cigarette butts is prohibited under the "Inagi City Citizen Ordinance for Keeping the City Clean," which was formulated primarily by citizens in 2000.
It seems that during the formulation of this ordinance, there was also discussion about the prohibition of smoking on the streets, but it did not lead to direct regulation. Although there are precedents in other cities, many cases are regulated mainly in downtown areas. Referring to the smoking environment at that time and the opinions from the "Inagi City Citizens' Council for Keeping the City Clean," the current policy is to treat it as a matter of smoker etiquette and to address it through awareness-raising activities such as campaigns.
So far, we have been requesting improvements in smoking manners during events such as practical actions to beautify the town centered around the Citizens' Council, environmental beautification citizen movements, and awareness activities at train stations. Unfortunately, the littering of cigarette butts has not ceased.
After that, there has been a growing concern among citizens regarding the effects of secondhand smoke, and many opinions have been submitted regarding the prevention of secondhand smoke. This is a problem that cannot be solved merely by regulating the littering of cigarette butts, and there are limitations to the regulations of the citizen ordinance aimed at keeping the town clean.
Recently, I included in the election pledge of 2015 the commitment to promote the regulation and proper management of smoking in public spaces, consulted the citizens' council for countermeasures, and took the 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 smoking on the streets and walking while smoking was presented to the Inagi City Council. This Submission contained strict opinions regarding the city's previous efforts and called for a ban throughout the entire Inagi City area, and as a result, it was adopted with the support of all members of the city council.

This ordinance has been developed based on this background, following discussions in the internal drafting committee regarding the ordinance proposal.
The two points of regulation were the prevention of passive smoking, which is an issue under the Health Division, and the regulation of street smoking, which is an issue under the Environment Department. The question was how to relate these two and strike a balance.
As a conclusion, we have decided not to set up a smoking area in front of the station, to prohibit smoking on roads and other public places within a 300-meter radius of the station, and to make it a duty to refrain from smoking while walking throughout the city. This aims to enhance both environmental beautification and health promotion, so thank you for your cooperation.
In the implementation of April 2018, we plan to place smoking prevention instructors in prohibited areas and request awareness and compliance with the ordinance.
In addition, there is a provision that allows for a fine of 2,000 yen to be imposed on those who violate the prohibited acts specified in the ordinance. Please understand that the application of this penalty requires a certain period of public awareness, and we plan to start this within three years, taking into account the trends in the dissemination and awareness of the ordinance.