A Japanese-style capsule hotel in downtown Shanghai has been shut down over safety concerns, the city's fire authorities said Thursday.
"What is popular in Japan is not necessarily suitable here. I would not say it was illegal, but the capsules are just unsafe and not suitable for a hotel," a Shanghai fire department spokesman told AFP.
"You are free to have a capsule-like room in your own home. But when it comes to public facilities, you have social responsibility and have to consider safety issues," he said, without giving further details.
The spokesman confirmed fire authorities issued a notice Wednesday denying the hotel approval for operations as it would be too difficult to evacuate people living in capsule hotels in a fire, which could lead to numerous deaths.
China has ordered a nationwide overhaul of fire control measures after a blaze at a Shanghai high-rise killed 53 people in November and highlighted the country's chronic problem with lax safety enforcement.
State media reported in January that the capsule hotel near the Shanghai Railway Station had opened on a trial basis, however when contacted by AFP at the time, the hotel's manager said they were waiting for fire permits.
No one at the hotel could immediately be contacted for comment on Thursday.
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