Starting on Wednesday, residents of Toyoake in Aichi prefecture will be asked to limit their device use during leisure hours – defined as time outside work, study and daily necessities – to about two hours per day. The city has also advised that primary school-aged children refrain from using their devices after 9pm and older students after 10pm.

While the ordinance contains no penalties or enforcement mechanisms, it has sparked widespread attention. Some have praised it as a needed intervention, but numerous critics have also accused the city of overstepping its role.

Mayor Masafumi Koki, who led the initiative, insists the policy is a symbolic one aimed at encouraging self-reflection rather than forcing people to change their behaviours.

“People thought we were trying to impose a strict time limit. That’s not the case at all,” Koki said in a recent interview, as quoted by Kyodo News. “We’re not trying to control anyone.”