"To Avoid Embarrassment," Korean-Language Warning Notices in Tokyo, Japan... A '170,000-Won' Fine? What's Going On?

Illegal suitcase dumping by foreign tourists continues
Japan's first ordinance to explicitly regulate it

A local government in Tokyo, Japan, is moving to impose fines to prevent foreign tourists and others from illegally dumping travel suitcases. The move comes after suitcases were repeatedly found discarded on streets, particularly in areas with many hotels and guesthouses. Toshima Ward is reportedly the first municipality in Japan to make illegally dumping suitcases subject to fines.

Reasons include buying new suitcases... 290 cases of illegal suitcase dumping

According to Japan's Asahi Shimbun on November 13, Toshima Ward announced on November 11 that it would revise its ordinance banning street smoking and illegal dumping of waste to also impose fines on people who discard travel suitcases.

The ward said about 290 abandoned suitcases were found on roads and elsewhere within its jurisdiction in 2025. It believes travelers may have discarded their old suitcases for reasons such as buying new ones.

A suitcase found illegally dumped in Toshima Ward, Tokyo, Japan. Toshima Ward

Because it is difficult to see what is inside a suitcase from the outside, some abandoned suitcases are reportedly considered suspicious and reported to the police.

重点 enforcement in Ikebukuro and Otsuka

The current ordinance prohibits the illegal dumping of plastic bottles, cans, cigarette butts and other items. Violators may be fined up to 20,000 yen (168,000 won).

Toshima Ward plans to revise the ordinance to add suitcases to the list of items that may not be illegally dumped. It will designate areas around Ikebukuro Station and Otsuka Station as priority enforcement zones and seek to impose fines of up to 20,000 yen on violators caught in those areas.

The ward plans to submit the ordinance revision to the ward assembly in February 2027. It aims to bring the ordinance into force in April 2027 and begin collecting fines in July 2027.

Toshima Ward has also conducted public awareness campaigns to prevent the illegal dumping of suitcases. It produced notices asking people not to dump suitcases in four languages—Japanese, English, Chinese and Korean—and distributed them at stations and accommodation facilities in the ward. The ward has also used a large electronic billboard near Ikebukuro Station to urge people not to leave suitcases on the street.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.