The failure of a Tokyo ward to introduce a new tax plan appears to indicate that recent moves by municipalities to seek their own sources of revenue with unique tax measures are not without obstacles.
The mayor of Arakawa Ward, Kazuhiro Fujieda, announced last Tuesday that he has given up a plan to introduce a controversial "bicycle tax," originally proposed to cover part of the cost of removing the huge number of bikes left on streets around train stations.
Arakawa's tax plan -- the first of its kind nationwide -- met with opposition from residents and local bicycle retailers as well as members of the municipal assembly immediately after it was disclosed late last month.