Officers from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department’s Ueno Police Station seize tables and other items from businesses repeatedly operating on the street. May 5, Taito Ward, Tokyo.
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Ueno Police Station launched a cleanup operation on May 5 in the restaurant district around Ameyoko shopping street in Taito Ward, aiming to remove unlicensed street dining and make the area safer and cleaner.
Police also searched restaurants they identified as repeat offenders for illegally placing tables and chairs on the road in violation of the Road Traffic Act, issuing warnings to others in the area.
Street Dining Draws Complaints
Outdoor dining became established around Ameyoko during the COVID-19 pandemic, when businesses sought to avoid crowded indoor spaces. But after the pandemic eased, some restaurants continued setting up tables on the street without permission, raising concerns that they were blocking pedestrians and emergency vehicles.
That day, officers warned restaurant operators and shoppers about the hazards of setting up seating and equipment on the street. They also searched restaurants that had failed to comply despite previous warnings, seizing signs, tables, chairs, and other items placed along the sidewalk.
Hirohisa Mizutani, chairman of the local Nakakachi San-Yon neighborhood association, said residents had long been troubled by the increasingly conspicuous street operations.
"We have been struggling with street businesses that have become impossible to ignore," Mizutani said. "Police guidance has improved the situation considerably, but as time passes, some stores gradually start putting things back out again."
According to Ueno Police Station, complaints about street operations in its jurisdiction included reports such as people "bumping into signs and getting into trouble with stores." Police received 43 emergency calls in 2025 and 21 more from January to April this year.
Daizo Ishikawa, head of the station's traffic section, urged cooperation, saying, "We ask for help in creating a road environment where pedestrians and vehicles can pass safely."
(Read the article in Japanese.)
Author: The Sankei Shimbun
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