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July 12, 2026
 

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DRIVING

Officials from the Meteorological Agency hold a news conference about the heavy snow forecast, on Sunday in the city of Saitama.
JAPAN
Mar 4, 2025
Snow forces highway closures in Tokyo
The closures are set to begin at around 4 p.m. for major routes including the Tomei Expressway, Shin-Tomei Expressway and Joshinetsu Expressway.
JR East started the services in Minamiboso and Tateyama, cities in Chiba Prefecture, on Monday and will begin them in Senboku, Akita Prefecture, in the second half of this year.
BUSINESS / Companies
Mar 3, 2025
JR East to offer ride-hailing services at limited locations
The firm started the services in the cities of Minamiboso and Tateyama in Chiba Prefecture on Monday, and will begin them in Senboku, Akita Prefecture, later this year.
The number of fatal bicycle accidents and those causing serious injury that were attributed to cyclists' mobile phone use totaled 28 in 2024, a record high. Similarly, the number of such accidents involving cars driven by drivers distracted by mobile phones rose to the highest on record, at 136 cases.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Feb 27, 2025
Accidents caused by distracted drivers hit record high in 2024
A total of 136 fatal car accidents and those resulting in serious injury due to mobile phone use were recorded last year, the highest since at least 2007.
Prince Hisahito (center) visits Maizuru Repatriation Memorial Museum in Maizuru, Kyoto Prefecture, last week.
JAPAN
Feb 18, 2025
Prince Hisahito obtains driver’s license
Prince Hisahito is set to enter the University of Tsukuba in April.
Taxis in central Sendai. More people are becoming attracted to the job of a taxi driver as it can allow them to work flexibly.
BUSINESS / Regional Voices: Tohoku
Feb 10, 2025
Cab driving becoming an increasingly popular job in Sendai
Flexible hours and the work-at-your-own-pace environment has led to a renewed interest in taxi driving among younger people.
Priority lanes for test runs of self-driving trucks will be introduced on a roughly 100-kilometer section of the Shin-Tomei Expressway in Shizuoka Prefecture.
JAPAN
Feb 9, 2025
Self-driving lanes to open on Japan’s Shin-Tomei expressway
The move is part of a plan to create a road network that can handle so-called Level 4 autonomous driving amid labor shortages in the logistics industry.
Justice Minister Keisuke Suzuki told a news conference Tuesday that he wants recommendations on criteria for dangerous driving as soon as possible.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jan 28, 2025
Japan to set clearer standards for dangerous driving offenses
Under the current law, the criteria for applying a charge for dangerous driving, which can carry a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, are vague.
At a news conference regarding the joint delivery service, Yamato Holdings President Yutaka Nagao (left), and Fujitsu President Takahito Tokita (right) pose for a photo on Monday in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 28, 2025
Yamato and Fujitsu to launch more efficient delivery service
The two companies aim to optimize deliveries across industries by loading packages from various clients onto a single truck and improving loading rates.
Vehicles drive over a road made using recycled plastic waste in Pokhara, Nepal, on Dec. 26.
ENVIRONMENT / Sustainability
Jan 27, 2025
Rubbish roads: Nepal explores paving with plastic
Studies show that roads paved with plastic waste can be twice as durable as normal roads.
Regular gasoline was priced at ¥194 per liter at a gas station in Nagano on Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 23, 2025
Japan’s average gas price exceeds ¥185 for first time in 17 months
The price hike reflects reduced government subsidies to oil wholesalers.
Tokyo led the country's 47 prefectures with 146 traffic-related fatalities in 2024, followed by Aichi with 141 and Chiba with 131.
JAPAN
Jan 8, 2025
Japan’s traffic death toll falls to third-lowest in 2024
There were 2,663 traffic-related deaths in 2024. The government has a goal of lowering the annual toll below 2,000 by 2025.
The average gasoline price is likely to start climbing again, toward ¥185, after the government cuts subsidies further on Jan. 16.
JAPAN
Dec 25, 2024
Japan pump price tops ¥180 per liter for first time in 15 months
The national average at the pump as of Monday climbed ¥4.8 from a week before to ¥180.6, posting an increase for the seventh straight week.
Critics have said that drivers who were speeding well over the speed limit or those who were extremely drunk were not indicted for dangerous driving because of its vague definition.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal / EXPLAINER
Dec 6, 2024
What constitutes fatal dangerous driving in Japan?
Critics say its vague definition has often led prosecutors to indict offenders with less-serious charges of fatal negligent driving instead.
Police officers enforce electric scooter traffic regulations in Chuo Ward, Osaka, in July.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Dec 3, 2024
Luup CEO blames repeat offenders for high e-scooter traffic violations
According to the National Police Agency, there were 25,156 e-scooter traffic violation cases in the year after e-scooter regulations were relaxed.
Bereaved family members are seen shedding tears at a memorial ceremony held near the Sasago Tunnel in Otsuki City, Yamanashi Prefecture, on Monday.
JAPAN
Dec 2, 2024
Victims remembered on 12th anniversary of Sasago Tunnel disaster
The memorial ceremony was attended by 60 people, including executives of the company and officials of the transport ministry as well as people who lost their loved ones.
The Oita District Court sentenced a 23-year-old man to eight years in prison Thursday for causing a fatal crash in the city of Oita in 2021.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 28, 2024
Oita court sentences man to eight years in prison for dangerous driving
Initially filed as a case of negligent driving resulting in death, prosecutors later sought a dangerous driving charge, which carries harsher penalties.
A Nihon Kotsu Co. taxi departs one of the company's service offices in Tokyo.
JAPAN / Society
Nov 23, 2024
Japan to aid introduction of multilingual ride-hailing apps
With the number of inbound visitors rapidly increasing, rural areas are facing the urgent challenge of securing transportation options for tourists.
After three students took a car for a joyride on the grounds of Saitama Sakae High School and crashed it, attention has turned to whether the school can be held responsible for failing to keep the car keys out of reach of students.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 19, 2024
Saitama high school apologizes for negligence leading to fatal car crash
A student in the passenger seat suffered severe head injuries after the car rolled over, and was later pronounced dead.
Relatives of the victim of an accident in the city of Oita held a news conference on Nov. 5, following the first hearing of the jury trial.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Nov 14, 2024
Justice Ministry panel proposes stricter criteria for dangerous driving
Experts are advocating for the introduction of specific numerical thresholds for speed and blood alcohol content, addressing criticisms of ambiguity in the current law.
The My Number card will function as a driver's license after information such as the type of license is recorded on the integrated circuit chip embedded in the card.
JAPAN
Oct 29, 2024
Government adopts order allowing use of My Number card as driver’s license
From March 24, drivers will be able to choose between using only the My Number card, incorporating a driver’s license, using only the conventional license, or using both.
China’s demand for Soviet-style apartments shows limits to revival
Apartments built during a Soviet Union-inspired construction drive in the 1970s and 1980s tend to suffer from poor insulation and outdated plumbing, but they are seeing a revival in interest due to their attractive locations.
Japanese scientists identify neural mechanism that may explain why we dislike people
The aggressive mouse (left) used in the experiment and a mouse defending itself
Japanese payment processor’s collapse hits banks and restaurants
Zentoshin served around 200,000 shops, many of which rely on early payments to maintain cash flow, raising concerns over their financial stability following the disruption.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
Lenders seek $700 million after Japanese payments firm’s collapse
The financial failure of Osaka-based Zentoshin has left 63 creditors with claims totaling ¥115.16 billion, according to Tokyo Shoko Research.
Japan’s largest exhibition of women photographers rights a wrong in cultural history
Miwa Yanagi’s “Elevator Girl House” series skewers the superficiality of gender roles through staged images.
Over 70% of accommodations in Japan say they are understaffed amid tourism influx
The number of foreign visitors to Japan reached a high of 42.68 million in 2025.
‘Princess Mononoke’ comes alive in Super Kabuki staging
The “Princess Mononoke” adaptation was created under Shochiku’s Super Kabuki initiative, a modern form of kabuki with more technology in staging and open to pop culture collaborations.
The beating heart inside ‘Human Vapor’
Different forms of love and connection form the emotional backbone of Netflix’s “Human Vapor,” says actor Shun Oguri, who plays troubled detective Kenji Okamoto.
Japan bets on character IP to drive global growth
Born on social media platforms in 2022, Opanchu Usagi has become a major hit, especially among Generation Z.

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