The revised Health Promotion Law with stronger measures to prevent passive smoking will go into full effect on April 1. That same day, the government of Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo, will set up a new smoking corner near the west exit of JR Shinjuku Station, integrating two existing corners to create a space about three times bigger than each individual area.
Smoking corners have been removed one after another in various parts of the country, so it's unusual for such an area to be enlarged. However, a ward official said it was a "realistic decision" given that many people currently smoke outside the designated smoking corners near the massive railway terminal.
Shinjuku Ward has established five smoking corners under its jurisdiction near Shinjuku Station since 2004. Two are near the west exit, measuring about 40 square meters combined. According to the ward office, many smokers gather there in the morning, the evening and at lunch time on weekdays. Some people also smoke outside the corners, drawing repeated complaints to the ward from passersby, who say the cigarette smoke is "annoying" and "smelly."
This time, the ward will close two existing smoking corners and instead establish a new one in a lot measuring about 110 square meters, near a rotary in front of the station. About 90 people will be able to use it at one time, so the ward office expects it to resolve the problem of people smoking outside designated areas. The new corner will be enclosed with walls taller than two meters, to prevent the outflow of smoke, according to the ward office.
Regarding the expansion of the smoking corner, an official at the section in charge in the ward government said, "We are by no means encouraging people to smoke."
The official said: "Lots of people use Shinjuku Station, so it's not easy to make it thoroughly known that smoking on the street is banned. We therefore concluded it would be more realistic to accommodate them by expanding the smoking corner."
As to the three remaining smoking corners, located near the east and the southeast exits of the station and ranging from about 60 to 100 square meters, they will remain in place even from April onward.
However, "if we can secure a plot of space, measures similar to the ones taken for the corners near the west exit will be considered," the official said.
Critical voices
Some are critical, however, of the policies adopted by Shinjuku Ward.
"There's no ceiling nor smoke filters to absorb [the smoke], making it structurally insufficient from the viewpoint of preventing passive smoking," said Haruo Ozaki, president of the Tokyo Medical Association. Ozaki had seen the new smoking corner's conceptional drawing at its completion, and was speaking in response to an inquiry by the Yomiuri Shimbun.
Ozaki added, "They should establish a limited time period during which the smoking corner will be available, while at the same time promoting efforts to stamp out such acts as on-street smoking and littering."
The revised Health Promotion Law was approved at a plenary session of the House of Councillors in July 2018, and came into law. Since July 2019, smoking on the premises of hospitals, schools and administrative institutions has been totally banned.
From this April, when the revised law is fully implemented, smoking inside company buildings, large restaurants and hotel lobbies will be banned in principle. Smoking is permitted, for the time being, at small restaurants and the like as long as there is a sign at the front indicating that smoking is allowed within.
Efforts by other municipalities
Local governments are split in their judgments on whether the smoking corners under their jurisdiction should be kept in place.
The city government of Tachikawa, Tokyo, closed four smoking corners near JR Tachikawa Station in July 2016, and has no plans to establish any new ones, even after the revised law fully comes into force in April. An official in charge said, "In addition to efforts to prevent passive smoking, it's inappropriate to have cigarette smoke in front of a station that will welcome people from around the world during such events as the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics."
The government of Tokyo's Shibuya Ward also removed in November 2016 a smoking corner that was located near the statue of the dog Hachiko in front of JR Shibuya Station. It has no plans to set up a new one.
However, there are also many local governments that are keeping smoking corners in place and taking measures to stop smoke from flowing out of them.
The government of Itabashi Ward, Tokyo, which has five smoking corners under its jurisdiction, had one near the Takashimadaira subway station on the Toei Mita Line remodeled into a container type, enclosed with walls and a ceiling. It can accommodate eight people at once and is equipped with a dust collector to absorb smoke. The ward office plans to change other smoking corners into container types as well.
The city government of Mitaka, Tokyo, had planned to remove a smoking corner located near the south exit of JR Mitaka Station. But as people are increasingly likely to smoke on the street and litter once the revised law is fully implemented, it is now considering keeping the existing one in place and having it enclosed with a ceiling and walls.
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