On Mar. 4 Fukuoka released a summary of its Yatai Ordiance, a law aimed at clarifying rules for operating outdoor food stalls and cracking down on violators. The new law will allow existing operators who become unable to run their stalls due to illness or death one opportunity to hand the reins over to a spouse or other relative. This serves as an addendum to the current rules which prohibits the transfer of licenses.
The ordinance will also rescind the licenses of operators who commit a second violation within six months of having a suspended license reinstated. Whenever an operator closes a stall, a yatai selection committee will meet to screen new applications from aspiring operators. New operators will be screened after three years and may have their licenses renewed for two years if their assessment is positive. The new ordinance is set for deliberation by the City Council in June, and City Hall hopes to have the law passed by July. Source: Nishinippon Shimbun Mar. 5
