A nationwide ban on smoking at public facilities, such as schools, hospitals and government offices, took effect July 1 under revisions to the Health Promotion Law.

Concerns were already being expressed that smokers with no choice but to go outside to indulge in their habit could cause problems for others nearby.

The revised law still permits organizations and institutions to set up outside smoking areas where exposure to passive smoking is not possible.

Some local governments and central government ministries are enforcing even stricter rules than those provided by the law and have completely banned smoking in the grounds of their premises.

At the Tokyo metropolitan government building in the capital’s Shinjuku Ward, where about 10,000 staff members work and hordes of sightseers visit, all six smoking areas within the building and near the entrance were closed late June 28. This raised the prospect of even more smokers flocking to already-packed smoking areas in nearby Shinjuku Chuo central park.

Those smoking areas are already at almost saturation point, especially during lunch breaks.

“We wonder if the Tokyo metropolitan government has thought through what troubles its rule would bring to other people," said an official of the Shinjuku Ward government.

Of all the 13 central government ministries, only the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, both of which are in Chiyoda Ward, completely banned smoking on their premises.

Other ministries set up at least one outside smoking area.

Two ministries were unable to prepare an outside smoking area due to a lack of space.

Smoking in the street is prohibited by a ward ordinance. The closest smoking area, created with a subsidy from the ward government, is about 400 meters from the land ministry.

A ministry employee in his 30s speculated that some colleagues might use smoking areas at other ministries.

The law will be fully enforced in April 2020 ahead of the Tokyo Olympics. Smoking will then be banned in basically all facilities as well as public transportation systems. The only exceptions will be private residences and guest rooms designated by ryokan traditional inns and hotels as ones to smoke in.

The law permits smoking at eating and drinking establishments with a floor space of 100 square meters or less that are run by individuals or small and midsize businesses.

A facility will be deemed to have violated the law if ashtrays are placed in a non-smoking area. In such cases, the manager of the venue will be cautioned or admonished by the governor of the prefecture concerned.

Repeat offenders face a fine of up to 500,000 yen ($4,620). Smokers who disobey the rules face a fine of up to 300,000 yen.

(This article was written by Hikari Maruyama, Sokichi Kuroda and Shuichi Doi.)