While illegal parking on city streets has been a cause of headaches for urban authorities for years, officials now also face a similar challenge on the waterfront as illegally moored pleasure boats take up precious water space.
A growing number of municipalities, including the city of Yokohama, are now taking legislative action to sweep such boats away from their rivers and ports.
However, authorities face a dilemma as the staggering shortage of mooring space -- even to hold impounded vessels -- makes effective enforcement almost impossible.