The Japantown Merchant’s Association is a non-private organization based in San Francisco's Japantown that encourages business traffic within the area and provides a variety of services for business owners. The Japantown Merchants Association is a coalition of more than 90 different businesses and community-based organizations located within Japantown, with each member assigned a set of annual dues to keep the organization running. The association is comprised of three separate committees, all of which represent its core operations – the Dues Committee, the Events Committee and the Security Committee. The Merchants Association in partnership with the Japantown Task Force, Inc. also supports a litter-hawk machine as part of a neighborhood clean-up program, and sponsors various other local programs that are vital to the community. V.