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2026-09-01
Residential Road Speed Limit Cut to 30km/h!
From September 2026, speed limit on residential roads without center lines drops from 60km/h to 30km/h. Applies to all vehicles for pedestrian safety.
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2026-07-17Traffic
🚗 Foreign Rental Car Crashes Up 4.5×: Airport Safety Rollout
Announced July 17, 2026 — rolling out on national highways near New Chitose, Fukuoka and Naha airports within FY2026
❓ What's Changing?
On July 17, 2026, Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) announced that traffic-safety measures for foreign visitors' rental cars are moving "from the pilot-experiment stage to full deployment." The decision builds on a pilot program running since September 2017 that used ETC2.0 hard-braking data to pinpoint high-risk locations. Deployment starts in the areas around New Chitose, Fukuoka and Naha airports, targeting intersections on the main road networks leading from airports to major tourist destinations. Measures include colored pavement marking the right-turn path, rubber poles that stop drivers from veering into oncoming lanes after turning right, and road-surface markings. In districts where rental car branches cluster, signs urging drivers to keep left will be installed for the first minutes of driving. Work proceeds sequentially on national highways near the airports, targeted for completion within FY2026 (by March 2027).
👥 Who Is Affected?
- ●Foreign visitors driving rental cars in Japan on an international or foreign licence
- ●Especially travellers from right-hand-traffic countries (83% of departing foreign passengers at Naha)
- ●Anyone renting a car at New Chitose, Fukuoka or Naha airport
- ●Tourists touring Hokkaido, Kyushu or Okinawa by rental car
- ●All drivers using the treated national highway sections, including foreign residents of Japan
🌏 Impact on Foreign Visitors
No new penalties or paperwork — what changes is the road itself. At treated intersections, the right-turn lane gets colored pavement and rubber poles stand just past the turn: a visual way of saying "do not enter the oncoming lane." Near clusters of rental car branches, a "KEEP LEFT" sign will greet you in the first minutes of driving. The aim is that you follow the correct path from color and shape alone, even if you cannot read Japanese signs. Right turns are the weak point for foreign drivers, accounting for 24% of their crashes. On these sections, simply treat the colored surface and the line of poles as your guide.
💡 Key Points to Remember
1Right turns are the biggest danger. 24% of foreign rental car crashes happen while turning right — about 2.7× the 9% rate for Japanese drivers. After turning right, always settle into the leftmost lane.
2Colored pavement and rubber poles at intersections are your right-turn guide. Follow the inside of the poles and you will not stray into oncoming traffic.
3The riskiest moment is right after you set off. Signs urging you to keep left are being installed where rental car branches cluster. Say "keep left" to yourself once more before pulling away.
4Three areas go first: around Naha Airport (National Route 331), Fukuoka Airport (National Route 3) and New Chitose Airport (National Route 36), rolling out through FY2026.
5The pilot proved it works. On Okinawa Prefectural Route 110 in Nago City, hard braking caused by missed stop signs fell roughly 60% after treatment (6.1 → 2.4 incidents per 100 vehicles).
6Multilingual warning signs and pictogram-based signage will also be added as needed. The Japan Tourism Agency will run a survey on how foreign visitors actually use rental cars.
🔗 Related Issues
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2026-04-01
Bicycle "Blue Ticket" — All 113 Violations
Effective April 1, 2026. Traffic fine system introduced for bicycles. Smartphone use: ¥12,000, running red lights: ¥6,000.
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2026-04-01
Highway ETC Night Discount Narrowed to 0–4 AM (Effective Price Hike)
Highway late-night ETC discount (30% off) narrowed from 10 PM–6 AM to 12 AM–4 AM. Effectively a price increase for rental car tourists and long-distance drivers.