 The process has been accelerated by a 1994 law stating that "yatai" must be passed to a direct descendant, or closed, upon the retirement of the operator.Fortunately, Fukuoka has relaxed these regulations and recently announced the availability of 14 new licenses as of 2019.In Kumamoto Prefecture, just south of Fukuoka, a single yatai remains in Kumamoto City, Wakaki (わかき), which holds the last remaining yatai license in the prefecture.