- Tokyo neighbourhood Toshima Ward is introducing penalties to combat illegal suitcase dumping after about 290 abandoned bags were discovered across the district in 2025.
- Officials suspect tourists are leaving old luggage on streets and near accommodation after buying replacement suitcases in Japan or trying to avoid extra baggage fees.
- Across Tokyo, about 4,600 suitcases were recorded as found property in 2025, with roughly 70 per cent remaining permanently unclaimed.
- Major Japanese airports are also reporting a sharp rise in discarded luggage alongside a record tourism boom of over 42 million international visitors.
- Under Japan’s waste-disposal laws, illegal dumping carries maximum penalties of up to five years in prison or fines of up to 10 million yen (£47,630).
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