It will be difficult to drink alcohol at night on the streets of downtown Shibuya, which is considered the cultural center of Tokyo, Japan, where many foreign tourists visit.
According to Japan’s NHK on the 1st, Shibu Baseball, a competent local government, began enforcing an ordinance on prohibiting drinking on the street at night, which passed the parliament in June.
According to the ordinance, drinking alcohol is prohibited throughout the year from 6 p.m. to 5 a.m. on streets and parks around Shibuya Station.
The Shibu Baseball Organization has implemented the ordinance prohibiting street drinking throughout the year because of the continuous deterioration of public security surrounding street drinking. The ban on street drinking, which had been in operation for a certain period of time including Halloween in October, has been extended throughout the year.
However, there are no penalties for violating the night-time street drinking ordinance.
According to NHK, “Shibuya is the first to implement an ordinance prohibiting night-time street drinking throughout the year in Japanese urban areas.”
Shibuya expected the effect of the ordinance’s enforcement, saying, “It is not just an appeal not to drink on the street, but to be able to guide based on the ordinance.”
SOPHIA KIM
US ASIA JOURNAL
