Tag - driving

 
Menu
Search
 
July 06, 2025
 

Today's print edition

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access

DRIVING

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.
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.
Japan braces for more quakes as authorities dismiss doomsday hype
Evacuees from Akuseki Island, located in the Tokara island chain in Kagoshima Prefecuture, arrive at Kagoshima Port on Friday.
Hidden AI prompts in academic papers spark concern about research integrity
Waseda University is one of 14 institutions in eight countries found to have used hidden prompts in research papers.
A prophesied disaster (likely) won’t strike Japan this weekend
A viral manga prediction of a July 5 disaster has gripped Japan with anxiety and triggered an economic impact, but experts warn that while such dates are unreliable, the threat of a massive earthquake remains real. 
Residents of Tokara Islands begin evacuation as seismic swarm continues
Details about evacuations from Akuseki Island, located in the Tokara island chain in Kagoshima Prefecture, is seen written on a whiteboard in the city of Kagoshima on Thursday.
U.S. military apologizes over Okinawa sexual assault case
Col. Neil Owens (right), chief of staff for the 3rd Marine Division, bows in apology at the Okinawa Prefectural Government office in Naha on Thursday.
Ghibli’s Isao Takahata exhibit shows how beloved anime is made
“The man who planted Japanese animation” exhibition includes a variety of sketches, drawings and animation cels from Isao Takahata films such as color design for characters by Michiyo Yasuda from "Grave of the Fireflies."
Flag football facing challenges and opportunities ahead
Japan’s women’s flag football team at the 2025 International Bowl in Los Angeles in June. The sport is enjoying continued growth in the country.
From Hokusai’s Great Wave, shinkansen to One Piece: a cultural treasure box for Lego Japan
Michael Ebbesen, general manager of Lego Japan, says Lego bricks based on Japanese culture have a rich global appeal and are sellable around the world.
With farmed fish, RelationFish swims against the tide in fine dining
Chef Hideaki Matsuo (middle) and the staff of Oseto Suisan Fisheries prepare to check on their sustainably farmed fish.
As Southeast Asia heats up, a Japanese cooling giant sees a major opportunity
An employee of Daikin Cambodia explains the use of different tools during an air conditioner installation training session in Phnom Penh. Daikin is one of Japan’s oldest air conditioning companies, but as Japan’s population falls, the firm is keying in on overseas growth.

Podcast

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

Longform

Mount Fuji is considered one of Japan's most iconic symbols and is a major draw for tourists. It's still a mountain, though, and potential hikers need to properly prepare for any climb.
What it takes to save lives on Mount Fuji
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Smile! It’s ‘Sanrio Time,’ now and ever after
Smile! It’s ‘Sanrio Time,’ now and ever after

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

Read more

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER