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July 12, 2026
 

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DRIVING

Toyota Motor and Nippon Telegraph and Telephone will spend ¥500 billion together on a project to develop the traffic accident prevention technology, and aim to commercialize it in 2028.
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 29, 2024
Toyota and NTT to jointly develop driver assistance technology that uses AI
The ¥500 billion project will use artificial inteligence and optical communication infrastructure, aiming to commercialize by 2028.
A cyclist stops to look at an electronic share price board in Tokyo on Sept. 30. From Nov. 1, cyclists who use their cellphones while cycling or ride under the influence of alcohol may be fined or jailed.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 20, 2024
Road traffic law revisions for cycling offenses to kick in next month
Cyclists who use their cellphones while cycling or ride under the influence of alcohol will be liable to fines and imprisonment from Nov. 1.
A manager of a go-kart rental company allegedly rented out karts without properly verifying the driver's licenses presented by two foreign tourists.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Oct 11, 2024
Tokyo go-kart rental manager sent to prosecutors over traffic law violation
The 40-year-old man allegedly rented out karts to two foreign tourists without valid licenses.
An electric vehicle (EV) at an Electrify America charging station in Atlanta
BUSINESS / Tech
Oct 7, 2024
The future of EV charging looks a lot like an airport lounge
The convenience of nicer charger stations could entice would-be electric vehicle drivers to take the plunge and buy one,
Starting next March, the My Number card can be used as a driver's license.
JAPAN
Sep 12, 2024
Use of My Number card as driver’s license to start March 24
The My Number card will function as a driver’s license, with its embedded integrated circuit chip to contain new information such as license type.
Uber is working with Royal Limousine and Times Mobility to conduct a trial to allow ordinary drivers to offer ride-hailing services even if they do not own vehicles.
JAPAN
Sep 4, 2024
Uber Japan tests use of car-sharing vehicles for ride-hailing services
The aim of the trial, which will run through Nov. 30, is to make it easier for drivers to get into the business.
Officials of the transport ministry speak to a driver suspected of engaging in illegal taxi operations at a tourist spot in Shirakawa, Gifu Prefecture.
JAPAN / Society / Regional voices: Chubu
Aug 12, 2024
Gifu struggles to crack down on illegal cabs at tourist hot spots
Cashless payments make it hard to catch such drivers in the act and some are worried they may be mistaken for a legal ride-hailing service.
Double trailers will be allowed to run on the Hokkaido Expressway for the first time as part of measures to cope with a truck driver shortage.
BUSINESS
Jul 26, 2024
Japan to open up more expressways to double trailers
The move aims to address disruptions in cargo transport services caused by truck driver shortages due to a new overtime regulation introduced in April.
Traffic cones mark the site where a drunken driver plowed into a group of elementary school students two days earlier in Yachimata, Chiba Prefecture, on June 30, 2021.
JAPAN / Society
Jun 28, 2024
Alcoholism seen as factor in increase in drunken driving in Japan
There were approximately 2,300 drunken driving collisions reported last year, marking an increase from the previous year.
Toshiaki Otake
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 17, 2024
Former secretary to Koichi Hagiuda arrested over drunken driving
Toshiaki Otake is suspected of driving a car from his home in Hachioji to a convenience store in the city while drunk.
A driving course inside a new facility in the city of Saitama created for elderly drivers
JAPAN
Jun 10, 2024
Saitama police open Japan’s first elderly driver training center
Drivers 70 and older have to undergo sessions consisting of driving instruction and classroom lectures, as well as cognitive tests.
As of last Sunday, ride-hailing services, which use personal vehicles to offer paid rides, had been used a total of 12,628 times in five areas.
BUSINESS
May 11, 2024
In first month of operations, ride-hailing services used more than taxis in Tokyo
The services, which were launched in April, have been used more frequently than traditional taxis so far, a transport ministry report has shown.
The transport ministry will begin talks this summer with expressway operators on details of a system aimed at controlling traffic volumes by flexibly setting highway tolls nationwide, depending on sections and the time of day.
JAPAN
May 11, 2024
Japan to introduce variable expressway tolls nationwide
The government is considering including the plan in its basic economic and fiscal management guidelines to be compiled in June, sources said.
Takuya Matsunaga reads a reply from Kozo Iizuka, imprisoned for killing Matsunaga's wife and daughter in 2019 in a high-profile accident in Tokyo's Ikebukuro district, at his home in Tokyo earlier this month.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Apr 19, 2024
Five years after fatal Ikebukuro crash, bereaved man works to prevent repeat
A man plans to meet with the driver who accidentally killed his wife and young daughter, hoping to learn what went through the driver’s mind.
The National Police Agency is planning to introduce driver's licenses for automatic transmission trucks and buses, as such vehicles accounted for about 90% of large buses and 70% of large trucks sold last year.
JAPAN
Apr 19, 2024
Japan eyes automatic transmission licenses for trucks and buses
The move comes in response to the spread of AT vehicles and the issue of driver shortages.
Digital minister Taro Kono rides in a car driven by a private driver using a personal vehicle in Tokyo's Edogawa Ward on Monday.
BUSINESS / Tech
Apr 8, 2024
Tokyo starts ride-hailing service — but it may not be what you expect
The apps Go, Uber, S.Ride and Didi can all be used to hail private drivers alongside taxis during specific times of the day.
Uber Japan demonstrates its ride-hailing app in Tokyo's Koto Ward on Friday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Apr 7, 2024
Uber to launch ride-hailing services in Japan
The move is designed to cope with a shortage of taxi drivers in urban areas and tourist spots in the country.
Ride-sharing apps on a smartphone. Since Monday, users have technically been able to hail private vehicles through such apps, but only in specific areas and at certain times.
BUSINESS / EXPLAINER
Apr 2, 2024
Japan has started private ride-hailing services. Here’s how they work.
Private drivers can only be called during times of high demand and in certain areas.
In 2019, Japan tightened penalties for the use of smartphones and other mobile handsets while driving.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 7, 2024
Record high number of distracted drivers causing death or serious injury
In 2023, 25 incidents were fatal and 97 caused serious injury, with about 10% of drivers using mobile phones to talk and 90% looking at screens.
Police stations in Tokyo's Minato Ward hold a cycling safety event in Tokyo in August.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Mar 6, 2024
Japan to introduce ‘blue ticket’ fine system for cyclists
Fines are expected to be between some ¥5,000 ($33) and ¥12,000, the same as those for traffic violations by motorized scooter riders.
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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