News Tokyo stations removing trash cans

[thomas]

Terrorism... really? It's not just train stations, but also all public buildings and facilities.

Trash bins, once taken for granted by the millions of commuters who rely on the Tokyo rail network, are fast disappearing from the metropolitan area as operators move to make their facilities safer to use. Tokyo Metro Co. is the latest operator to come on board. It removed all trash cans from its station premises following the end of business hours on Jan. 16. Three kinds of trash bins used to be available: for cans and glass bottles, burnable items and newspapers and magazines. They were placed at a total of 239 spots at Tokyo Metro stations. However, recycling bins beside vending machines will remain. In the past, Tokyo Metro used to temporarily remove rubbish bins as a safety precaution to coincide with events such as summits and international meetings. But now, trash bins are being removed for good due to security concerns.

Tobu Railway Co. said it is "moving toward removing" trash bins as part of anti-terror and other measures, while Odakyu Electric Railway Co. is "considering whether" to do so. Rail operators simultaneously trashed their trash cans following a sarin nerve gas attack on the Tokyo subway system in 1995 by the Aum Shinrikyo doomsday cult that eventually claimed 13 lives and sickened thousands. However, they were later reinstalled gradually at the request of users, according to the transport ministry and other sources.

Take it with you, say Tokyo stations removing trash cans | The Asahi Shimbun: Breaking News, Japan News and Analysis

 

[bentenmusume]

Yeah, seriously. The Aum sarin gas attack was literally almost three decades ago, and I'm not aware of any rash of recent incidents that would necessitate this.
If they cited COVID or something it still wouldn't make any sense, but would at least be timely and somewhat relevant.

It seems the general populace has their doubts about the motive behind this decision as well, with many believing that it's simply a cost-cutting measure that they're trying to justify with very dubious tatemae reasoning:

東京メトロ、ゴミ箱撤去に「駅で買ったものをどこに捨てれば？」の声…広報は「お持ち帰りいただきご協力を」（SmartFLASH） - Yahoo!ニュース

　都心の重要交通網である「東京メトロ」は、1月16日をもって駅構内のゴミ箱をすべて撤去する。 　東京メトロは、海外でのテロ発生の影響などで、2005年から中が見える透明パネルがつけられたゴミ箱を設

news.yahoo.co.jp