A revised government-sponsored bill intending to ban indoor smoking before the 2020 Tokyo Olympics will not include a threshold on restaurant size, effectively delaying what has become a “controversial" issue, the Japanese Times reported.

A threshold on restaurant floor size will be dropped from a bill to ban indoor smoking to avoid a clash with Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) lawmakers who want looser regulation, the Japanese Times reported, citing unnamed sources with knowledge of the matter.
In what is seen as an effort to advance the smoking bill while delaying details of restaurant size, the LPD plans to specify the floor space threshold in an ordinance.
“The move is seen as an effort by the government to advance the smoking bill while leaving the controversial restaurant issue for later, giving it time to discuss it with the LDP,” the English-language site said.
Pressure to exempt small establishments such as taverns from the ban is reportedly being led by the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry, which is said to have insisted smoking be banned in all establishments with up to 30 square meters of floor space. Ruling LDP lawmakers are said to support a limited ban at restaurants with up to 150 square meters of floor space.