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September 13, 2025
 

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CYCLING

Bicycle helmet use has risen to 21.2% nationwide, up 4.2 percentage points from last year, according to the National Police Agency.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Sep 11, 2025
Number of cyclists wearing helmets in Japan increases slightly, police say
Overall, usage rates have risen by 4.2 percentage points year on year to an average of 21.2%, according to a survey conducted in June.
The National Police Agency has issued a rulebook for cyclists detailing violations subject to fines from April 2026 onward.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Sep 5, 2025
New rulebook for cycling in Japan details fines for minor violations
Traffic offenses that will prompt police to issue tickets for fines on the spot include talking on the phone or staring at it while cycling and railroad crossing violations.
Ichiro Kanai, founder and president of Tokyobike, is developing a niche but a new customer base who want to cycle as part of a lifestyle.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Jul 15, 2025
Tokyobike founder believes in taking in sights of dynamic cities slowly
There's no use having a wonderful bike if you don’t have a thrilling city to explore, with Tokyobike's founder believing stylish products can only complement a compelling city.
Bicycle riders will be fined for minor traffic violations starting on April 1.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jun 18, 2025
Japan to fine riders ¥12,000 for using mobile phones while cycling
Fines between ¥3,000 ($20) and ¥12,000 will be imposed for 113 types of traffic violations.
Members of the Kyoto Prefectural Police department's bicycle patrol unit, known as the Be-Unit, in the city of Kyoto in April
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 28, 2025
Kyoto police deploy bicycle squad to crack down on reckless riding
The unit, launched in April last year under the traffic police force, has proven to be agile and effective.
Under new rules, those who use smartphones while riding a bicycle would be subject to the maximum fine of ¥12,000.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Apr 24, 2025
Japan set to fine cyclists on the spot for rule violations from 2026
Until now, police have usually responded to cycling violations by issuing verbal warnings or handing out red tickets that can lead to prosecution.
The head of a child dummy hits the ground after falling from a balance bike on a slope during a simulation conducted by the National Consumer Affairs Center of Japan.
JAPAN
Apr 15, 2025
Consumer watchdog warns about the dangers of balance bikes for children
Between April 2019 and December 2024, there were 101 reported accidents involving such bikes.
Chinese police have cracked down on an internet craze that saw thousands of cyclists throng a highway under cover of night to gorge on dumplings in a nearby city.
ASIA PACIFIC / Society
Nov 12, 2024
China makes a U-turn on night biking, opting to crack down on it
Thousands of cyclists flooded a six-lane highway in China for the chance to "go crazy once.”
The Dahon Horize Disc Shimano Altus 8-speed folding bicycle was produced in China and 734 units were shipped to Japan from August 2021 until January of this year by Akibo, the bike's importer.
JAPAN
Nov 12, 2024
Consumer watchdog warns against using faulty Dahon folding bicycles
The warning follows an incident in May where a man suffered severe injuries after his bike frame broke while he was riding.
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.
Cyclists participate in the Tour de Tohoku 2024 on Sunday in Onagawa, Miyagi Prefecture.
JAPAN
Sep 16, 2024
1,300 cyclists participate in Tour de Tohoku 2024
The event is designed to support reconstruction efforts in the affected areas, and participants do not compete for time or rankings but aim to complete the race.
Slovenian rider Tadej Pogacar cycles past the Negresco Hotel in Nice, France, on Sunday, during the 21st and final stage of the 111th edition of the Tour de France.
MORE SPORTS
Jul 22, 2024
Pogacar hails 'golden age' after securing third Tour de France title
The victory gave Pogacar the first Giro d'Italia-Tour de France double since Marco Pantani in 1998.
UAE Team Emirates team's Slovenian rider Tadej Pogacar cycles to the finish line to win the 15th stage of the 111th edition of the Tour de France cycling race, 197.7 kilometers between Loudenvielle and Plateau de Beille, in the Pyrenees mountains of southwestern France on Sunday.
MORE SPORTS
Jul 15, 2024
Pogacar pulverizes opposition at Tour de France
The Slovenian extended his overall lead to more than three minutes on Sunday with a convincing second straight stage win in the Pyrenees.
A test is conducted using a dummy to replicate an accident in which the leg of a child riding on the back seat of a bicycle strikes a pole.
JAPAN / Society
Jun 21, 2024
Accidents involving children in rear bicycle seats on the rise
They can easily injure themselves on utility poles or guard rails that they can’t see because of the adult sitting in front of them, Japan's consumer watchdog warns.
A new system under which bicycle riders pay fines for minor traffic violations to escape criminal punishment is expected to be introduced in Japan no later than 2026.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
May 17, 2024
Japan passes bill to introduce 'blue ticket' fines for cyclists
The new system will be applied to offenders aged 16 and above who breach traffic regulations.
Britain topped the cycling medals table at the Tokyo Games in 2021, winning seven medals, including three golds.
OLYMPICS / Cycling
Apr 30, 2024
British Cycling confident new track bike will deliver more gold
British Cycling has prided itself on delivering state-of-the-art kit, including bikes and clothing, to its riders.
Some 45 sports-type bicycles were stolen between October and January around train stations in Tokyo's Toshima Ward, including ones that were locked, according to police.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Apr 5, 2024
Bicycle thefts target sports bikes in Tokyo's Toshima Ward
Many of the stolen bicycles were locked, which may have been destroyed using tools.
People ride bikes without wearing helmets in Tokyo in March 2023, just before a law revision over helmet wearing on April 1 that year.
JAPAN
Apr 2, 2024
One year after road law revision, few cyclists in Japan wear helmets
The helmet wearing rate among cyclists killed or injured in accidents between April and December 2023 was 14.7%, the National Police Agency said.
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.
Vintage bicycle enthusiast and property manager Eric Knight shipped his high-wheeler from his home in Berwyn, Pennsylvania, to Japan for the cross-country trip.
COMMUNITY / Our Lives
Dec 4, 2023
32 days, one big wheel: Duo re-creates historic trans-Japan trip
The pair were inspired by pioneering cyclist Thomas Stevens (1854-1935), who traveled the same route through Japan in 1886 on a high-wheeler.
Japan's cutting-edge railgun successfully strikes target vessel
The Defense Ministry’s Acquisition, Technology & Logistics Agency (ATLA) conducted a ship-board railgun shooting test from June to early July this year with the support of the Maritime Self-Defense Force.
Thousands without power in Tokyo as heavy rain batters Kanto region
Heavy rain hit Tokyo and surrounding areas Thursday afternoon, causing thousands to lose power, prompting flood warnings, grounding flights and causing transportation issues.
Why more hotels in Japan are offering room-only service
Nipponia Hotel Ise Kawasaki Merchant Town in Ise, Mie Prefecture
JAL reprimand over drunken pilots adds to airline’s woes
Japan Airlines President Mitsuko Tottori (right) bows in apology Wednesday in Tokyo over the company's pilots causing flight delays due to drinking alcohol.
‘Fairytale’ Shirakawago ranked one of the world’s most beautiful villages
Forbes and Unforgettable Travel Company have ranked Shirakawago in Gifu Prefecture as Asia's most beautiful village.
Niinami’s ouster quick but not unusual as corporations protect reputation
Takeshi Niinami resigns as chairman and CEO of Suntory Holdings.
As Manila modernizes its military, new opportunities emerge for Tokyo
A Brahmos missile system is displayed during a rehearsal for a military parade in New Delhi in January. The Philippines will soon receive its second batch of the supersonic cruise missiles from India.
Shizuoka farmers fight to preserve sustainable tea method that’s steeped in tradition
As of August 2024, the number of confirmed chagusaba farmers had fallen to 302, just over half the 582 reported in 2015, according to the Shizuoka Chagusaba Farming Method Promotion Council.
Search is on for loopholes in Japan’s $550 billion investment pledge
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick argues that U.S. President Donald Trump has sole authority to invest Japan's promised $550 billion.
In rural Hokkaido, the stops and starts of tourism revival on full display
Redevelopment plans for Kawayu Onsen have hit some snags — an example of how bringing tourists back to declining rural communities is far from easy work.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Figure skater Akiko Suzuki was once told her ideal weight should be 47 kilograms, a number she now admits she “naively believed.” This led to her have a relationship with food that resulted in her suffering from anorexia.
The silent battle Japanese athletes fight with weight
By Mai Yoshikawa

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

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