Shibuya to officially impose a year-round ban on street drinking starting in October

Public drinking in areas near Shibuya is set to be prohibited starting later this year from October. The decision was made following the unanimous approval of a revised ordinance by the assembly of Tokyo’s Shibuya Ward on the 17th. 

The ordinance before revisions, which was enacted in 2019, had banned public drinking in streets and parks during the nighttime during Halloween and year-end and New Year holidays. It was implemented after a series of incidents of people causing trouble after getting drunk on the streets around Shibuya Station. 

Nowadays, it is not hard to find foreign tourists and young people drinking on the streets of Shibuya. Thus, the ban was proposed by local shop operators over concerns about various issues such as littering, roads being blocked, etc. 

Scheduled to take effect in October of this year, the revised ordinance will ban drinking on streets near Shibuya station from 6 PM to 5 AM the following morning. Security personnel will patrol around the area to monitor and provide guidance to those who violate the rules. Similarly to the 2019 ordinance, there will be no penalties. 

Additionally, the restrictions will be expanded to cover new areas, which include near the Shibuya Ward Office and the east side of Shibuya Station. 

Source: NHK