SNA (Tokyo) — Complaints are growing about the increasing number of joggers around the Imperial Palace in Tokyo and the alleged bad manners that some of them are showing.

Narrator: At the heart of Tokyo lies the Imperial Palace, the symbolic political center of the nation. Situated majestically on a piece of real estate that would be nearly priceless were it put up for auction. Some people say that it is now infested by a plague of joggers. The joggers come here to absorb the beauty of the area, as they get their physical exercise. They also point out that the entire course around the palace has no traffic lights that force them to stop, and that the length of the course is exactly five kilometers, allowing them to accurately judge the amount of distance they run. Once only a handful of joggers, this year has seen more and more people getting on the track, old and young, men and women. Some local residents are viewing the joggers as an increasing nuisance, with more than one hundred complaints to police about joggers accidentally bumping into pedestrians.

Man: We should firmly make regulations. If all the joggers follow those rules, it would be good, I think.

Narrator: Even some of those who don’t live in the area can appreciate the feelings of the offended locals.

Woman: Of course there are people who don’t use manners. If I lived around here, then certainly I would be displeased by them.

Narrator: The local Chiyoda Ward government is now in the process of deciding new rules and regulations to restore harmony to the community. Even some joggers have suggestions.

Jogger: The path is too narrow. There are a lot of cars also. The path should be made a little wider and divided into runner, pedestrian, and bicycle lanes.

Narrator: That may be one solution, but it seems that something must be done to keep the Imperial Palace joggers from running into trouble.

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