KANAGAWA (TR) – In order to reduce secondhand smoking, it has been officially decided that smoking will be banned in all parks managed by Yokohama City, including the popular Yamashita Park, from April next year.
In order to realize “a city where people want to raise their children,” Yokohama City last month submitted a bill to the city council to amend an existing ordinance such that smoking will be banned in the city’s parks. It was recently passed.
The bill applies to all of the approximately 2,700 parks managed by the city, including Yamashita Park and Minato Mirai Park, two of the city’s most popular tourist attractions.
Smoking will be banned from April 1 next year, with violators will be penalized with a fine of up to 50,000 yen.
The city plans to publicize the ban in advance by installing signs in the parks and using social media.
Meanwhile, the city is considering setting up temporary smoking areas to prevent people from smoking in secret when large-scale events that attract many people are held at the city’s parks.
In response to a question raised at the city council, Yokohama Mayor Takeharu Yamanaka said, “By clearly defining the smoking ban in the ordinance, we will eliminate unwanted secondhand smoking in parks where many children gather, and create an environment where everyone can play safely and comfortably with peace of mind.”
