Lifestyle Feb 13, 2021
Bicycle boom: Why transportation in the ‘new normal’ is on two wheels
by Phoebe Amoroso
The COVID-19 pandemic has sent cycle sales soaring, but will the momentum keep rolling forward in Japan?
National | Regional Voices: Hiroshima Dec 13, 2019
Hiroshima's middle school students wear bike helmets, so why not high schoolers?
A 33-year-old housewife in the city of Kure phoned the Chugoku Shimbun one day to convey her concern about her sixth-grade son. He will be attending a junior high school starting next spring and will be traveling there by bicycle, but he does not ...
National / History | JAPAN TIMES GONE BY Jun 1, 2019
Japan Times 1919: Maniac believed eating brain would cure his madness
According to facts brought to light at a preliminary trial, Hori Tokuichi was first observed as possessing peculiar mental traits last October when he attempted to kill a small dog for the purpose of eating its brain in the belief that such was a ...
National Jan 11, 2019
Japan panel to recommend ordinances mandating use of bicycle insurance
A transport ministry panel has agreed on a plan to call on local governments to pass ordinances aimed at obliging cyclists to use liability insurance. The plan was agreed to on Friday at the first meeting of the expert panel, set up for discussion on ...
National / Crime & Legal Aug 27, 2018
Woman gets suspended term for fatal Kawasaki bicycle crash linked to smartphone
A woman was given a two-year prison term, suspended for four years, on Monday for negligent cycling that killed an elderly woman in Kawasaki last year. Miku Morino, who was a university student at the time, had a smartphone in her left hand, a drink ...
Business / Corporate Dec 20, 2017
Line to join China's Mobike to launch bike-rental app in Japan
Messaging app provider Line says it will launch a bike rental service in Japan next year, teaming up with Chinese startup Mobike to meet anticipated demand.
National Dec 4, 2017
JR East to run special train to/from Chiba Prefecture for cyclists from January
East Japan Railway Co. unveiled new cars Monday for a special train that will enable people to take bicycles aboard without the need to fold or disassemble them. Starting in January, the weekend service will connect Ryogoku in Tokyo and various coastal towns on the ...
Business Nov 27, 2017
Indian official aims to take Japanese bicycle technology back home
An Indian official recently toured Japan's bicycle industry with an aim to transfer the country's cutting-edge technology and know-how to India, which is currently facing severe competition in the sector from China. Devinder Pal Singh Kharbanda, director of industries in the northern state of Punjab, ...
National Sep 23, 2017
Huge damages awards fuel demand for cycling insurance in Japan
A string of exorbitant court rulings on bicycle accidents has sent sales of cycling liability insurance soaring nationwide.
Reference | EXPLAINER May 1, 2017
Urban Japan trying its hand at bicycle-sharing
by Kazuaki Nagata
The so-called sharing economy has spread to a variety of fields such as cars and homes, and Japan has seen another rising trend in recent years — bicycles. A growing number of municipalities and private firms are providing bikes to gauge whether such services will ...
National / Crime & Legal Feb 18, 2017
Runaway held after alleged 900-km joy ride on stolen bicycle from Osaka to Aomori
A Yokohama teenager has been arrested for allegedly stealing a road bike and riding it about 900 km (560 miles) from Osaka to Aomori, police said Saturday. The 18-year-old, who ran away from home in September, is suspected of stealing the bicycle in Moriguchi in ...
National Aug 5, 2015
Ponchos in hot demand amid crackdown on umbrella-wielding bicyclists
Consumer demand for ponchos has surged in recent months in line with the revised traffic law that took effect June 1 that can punish umbrella-holding bicyclists in the event they hit someone, the Mainichi Shimbun reported Tuesday. At a Tokyu Hands outlet in the city ...