Police to fine minor rule-breaking cyclists from April 1, 2026

Riding "pillion" means having a passenger seated behind the "driver" as on a motorcycle. I hadn't heard this term before.

Go after the parents carrying their little kids on their bikes. They're the most aggressive and dangerous bike drivers I ever encounter. Stop signs, red lights, driving on the correct side of the road, pedestrians' rights, etc. mean nothing to most of them, based on what I observe every day.

However, this being Japan, I expect enforcement will be "selective."

Finally - without a penalty the new rules from last year have almost no impact.

the only people actually wearing helmets are cops.

As a automobilist I am applauding for more stricter rules but they should be really followed.

As a cyclist I never got stopped but it would be great if Japan would also do something about the safety and infrastructure.

So a person can drive a car while playing music as loud as they like, while smoking a cigarette, and having kids jump around the car without any penalty, but if you ride with earphones you will get hit with a Y5000 fine! Stupidity at its best!

I thought riding while using an umbrella had been made illegal about 15 years ago.

Must be a Tokyo problem and another reason to never live in that horrid city.

I have walked hundreds of kilometres around cities in Japan and cycled thousands and not once when walking did I feel endangered by a cyclist. And never have I endangered anyone while cycling.

Japan seems to be importing fear and loathing from North America.

Meanwhile drivers typing away on their phones, running red lights and having little kids jumping or standing up on seats, sometimes even sitting on driver parents lap continues unabated. But ah, those cyclists.

As long not only foreigners that being targeted, now they need target the every people who break the rule. While foreigners that riding bike in peace suddenly being checked for everything.

proxy

Must be a Tokyo problem and another reason to never live in that horrid city.

I have walked hundreds of kilometres around cities in Japan and cycled thousands and not once when walking did I feel endangered by a cyclist. And never have I endangered anyone while cycling.

Spend some time driving a car in Japan and you will soon see how stupid cyclists are.

@Alongfortheride

Read my post. I have walked hundreds of kilometres on the streets and roads on Japan and have never felt at risk from a cyclist.

chatanista

Meanwhile drivers typing away on their phones, running red lights and having little kids jumping or standing up on seats, sometimes even sitting on driver parents lap continues unabated. But ah, those cyclists.

The police hand out fines for all of the offenses you mention. The issue is the lack of police, not enough to catch every offender. It will be the same with cyclists.

Great news..

Sounds good to me. Now I just wish they would start fining drivers as well for using phones while driving and for ignoring red lights as well

Go after parents allowing minors to ride without a helmet!!!

I wonder what they'd do if someone used bone conduction earphones. They don't obstruct the ear itself, as far as I know.

I'm trying to imagine a scene where a couple of inaka cops stop someone who's using them and then get all stressed because those headphones aren't mentioned in the "manual".

"keep to the left on a road as much as possible"

Only "as possible" ??

This should be 100% compulsory. Almost every day while riding my bicycle in Tokyo I suddenly see another bicycle coming straight towards me. This is one of the most dangerous things idiot cyclists do, and should be heavily fined!!

Must be a Tokyo problem and another reason to never live in that horrid city

You sound hurt. Bad experience?

Great city. One of the best.

Could have sworn the plan was to start doing this much sooner.

In my local area in Tokyo there is a small underpass beneath train tracks. The underpass is a small slope: decline until level underneath the train tracks and then incline going up. Pillars are in place so no chance of a car squeezing through but cyclists and moped riders will go down and up all the time. Very dangerous for parents with small kids that especially the moped riders refuse to dismount and walk their bikes through like they are supposed to. The police last year put up garish yellow signs telling the moped riders to dismount and walk their bikes through. I would say instances have gone done 50% since those signs went up, but there are no cameras and no policing there and if I was a cop I would perch there every day because it would be a money pit.

The ones who ignore the sign always fit the same moniker: oyaji, and sometimes he's smoking a cig as he does it!

" Spend some time driving a car in Japan and you will soon see how stupid cyclists are. "

Spend some time cycling responsibly in Japan and you will soon see how stupid car drivers are.

This is all good. Cyclists are often completely inconsiderate of their surroundings. Riding a bike requires as much awareness as driving a car, and the consequences of cycling dangerously are more likely to be fatal or at least incurring injury.

Must be a Tokyo problem and another reason to never live in that horrid city.

Agree with this!

 have walked hundreds of kilometres around cities in Japan and cycled thousands and not once when walking did I feel endangered by a cyclist.

Nobody is worried about that. The cyclists themselves are in danger because of their behavior. Owing to cyclists' rule-breaking, motorists can be placed in the awful position of being in an accident with them. To some extent motor vehicles are more predicitable than cyclists- they stay basically within the road, they maintain a similar speed to the other motorists and they have mirrors and indicators etc. If the cyclists are breaking the rules, it is much more difficult as a motorist to work around them.

proxy

@Alongfortheride

Read my post. I have walked hundreds of kilometres on the streets and roads on Japan and have never felt at risk from a cyclist.

Perhaps you read your post, its says "walked"

Good now would be great time to crack down on people driving on their phones too..

grund

Sounds good to me. Now I just wish they would start fining drivers as well for using phones while driving and for ignoring red lights as well

They do when seen.

factchecker

" Spend some time driving a car in Japan and you will soon see how stupid cyclists are. "

Spend some time cycling responsibly in Japan and you will soon see how stupid car drivers are.

Are you suggesting all cyclists ride responsibly? I think thats why we have this story in the media today. Percentage wise I would lay money that there are more stupid cyclists than there are stupid drivers.

zulander

Spend some time cycling responsibly in Japan and you will soon see how stupid car drivers are.

I do both and see proportionately more stupid car drivers, which is worrying as they are x100 times heavier than a bicycle.

When you are cycling you can not see as many cyclists as you do in a car so your comment it way out of proportion. A majority of cyclists have no idea on how unsafe and stupid they are being.

factchecker

Spend some time cycling responsibly in Japan and you will soon see how stupid car drivers are.

How many cars do you see driving on the sidewalk in Japan? How many cars do you see driving across pedestrian crossings? Both at speed. Any day of the week in any hours of the day you can see dumb cyclists doing that. Both of which are illegal.

Missing is a mandatory enforecable helmet law.

Also- when is Japan going to do something about all these drivers at night without their headlights on?

Well Done Japan. Glad it is going to happen.

Morgan FisherToday  08:42 am JST

"keep to the left on a road as much as possible"

Only "as possible" ??

This should be 100% compulsory. Almost every day while riding my bicycle in Tokyo I suddenly see another bicycle coming straight towards me. This is one of the most dangerous things idiot cyclists do, and should be heavily fined!!

Acutally it is mandatory. In Japan one must ride a bicycle in the same direction as the motor vehicle traffic.Yes they should be heavily fined.

""5,000 yen for riding a bicycle while holding an umbrella or listening to music through earphones""

Now this one sucks, it is no diff. than driving a car while listening to music!?

""5,000 yen for riding a bicycle while holding an umbrella or listening to music through earphones""

This will take the fun out of riding a Bicycle to school or to work.

Blue ticket fines will be set at 12,000 yen for using a mobile phone while operating a bicycle or looking attentively at its screen, 6,000 yen for ignoring a traffic light, 5,000 yen for riding a bicycle while holding an umbrella or listening to music through earphones and 3,000 yen for riding with a pillion.

I thought this was already the law here. I see this constantly in my area. What's a "pillion"? I've never heard of that word.

zulander

When you are cycling you can not see as many cyclists as you do in a car so your comment it way out of proportion.

I said i do BOTH.

And when cycling you will probably see more cyclists especially if you are on a cycling route (hence, lots of cyclists).

I would say a majority of both cyclists and drivers have no idea how unsafe and silly their driving is. Id rather be hit by a bicycle than a car though.

So just to be clear you have never ridden your bicycle on a sidewalk in Japan and also when you get to a pedestrian crossing you stop , get off and walk across with your bike yes?

@OssanAmerica

Helmet laws are bad laws. There are studies both ways but riding a bicycle is not an inherently dangerous activity and helmet laws reduce the number of people who cycle and increase the number of cars.

As a lifelong safe riding cyclists I applaud those that cycle safely and condemn those that ride unsafely though I do not necessarily agree that such as earphones are unsafe. I do disagree with riding to left as far as possible since a cyclist should establish their space as they belong as much as cars. If you establish your space then drivers drive more carefully around you, if you ride far to left then they try to squeeze by you trying to keep in the lane which is super dangerous. They need to slow down and pass safely same as they do a car. The workmen drivers and taxis are the worst!

Abolish the rear-end collision/car running over a cyclist = driver automatically at fault nonsense for starters.

Make cyclists pay the damage they've done to your car after jumping right in front of you expecting you to brake and put everyone else behind in danger.

Cyclists (and pet owners) should always have an insurance policy.

My question are these new wider sidewalks, assumed they were built to keep bikes off the roads, but now it seems unclear given the above changes to the law.

Maybe signs to be posted on such sidewalks, whether cyclists permitted or not? The bike can be convenient for nearby, vs. parking/train/no time to walk etc.

The Japanese police have a penchant for going after the weakest in society. All these non-ticketed infractions by automobile smartphone users go unenforced even though they are piloting 1 ton projectiles unlike bicycles.

This has nothing to do with safety, and everything to do with a Government desperate for more income.

Zero kamikaze housewives will be 'pulled over and fined', it will mostly be a trap for men at night, and foreigners trying to get to work.

I believe that ignoring traffic lights should be even harshly fined. I had close quarters as pedestrian so many times and I am daily witnessing how cyclists go through red light without any checking of their surroundings.

I love cycling to work. I obey all rules and of course, wear a helmet. But I do wish there was more cycling space given on the roads. There are sections that can be quite nerve-wracking. I've almost been pushed off the road twice by impatient drivers.

Good. If people are in Japan they should obey Japanese rules and regulations

@Sandoval

I disagree. Idaho Stop laws drastically reduce crashes in Europe and the US.

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government requires all bicycle riders, including children, to have Bicycle Liability Insurance, and this applies even to non-residents cycling in Tokyo. 

Osaka Prefecture requires all bicycle owners to have bicycle liability insurance, according to a new ordinance that came into effect on July 1st, 2016.

Just want to know if special 'wide' sidewalks are exempt, as they were built with the intention to get cyclists off the road I always assumed, except for VERY speedy ones

"In general, Japanese law prohibits bicycles from riding on sidewalks, but there are exceptions. Bicycles are allowed to use sidewalks when explicitly permitted by signs, when road conditions make it dangerous to ride on the road, or when the cyclist is a child under 13, elderly (over 70), or disabled. "

Alongfortheride

Spend some time driving a car in Japan and you will soon see how stupid cyclists are.

because drivers, especially taxi drivers, are smarter, right?

They park in the cycle lane and almost always suddenly and without putting on their indicators,they cut you off to turn at full speed, they often pass on red lights, they almost never look when someone is crossing on the zebra crossing,they park on the stop line of a traffic light creating a traffic jam in the already narrow streets just to check their mobile phones.

Or shall we talk about pedestrians?

They suddenly cross the road without even looking left or right,they walk in the middle of the road and then they are surprised if they are almost run over, or they walk in narrow streets without a pavement in 4 or 5 side-by-side obstructing the road or shall we talk about when pedestrians walk on cycle paths with a BLUE sign displayed?

@Ossan

Acutally it is mandatory. In Japan one must ride a bicycle in the same direction as the motor vehicle traffic.Yes they should be heavily fined.

Actually that is not true. Many streets are one way for cars but both ways for bicycles. There are white signs below the one way signs that say in Japanese, "except for bicycles." However the bicycle should ride on the left side, whichever direction they are traveling.

Starting April 1, 2026, police can issue people aged 16 and older so-called blue tickets, which exempt an offender from being indicted if they pay a fine, for more than 100 violations, as the country seeks to crack down on rule-breaking cyclists.

Ah yes, nothing says “serious crackdown” like letting someone rack up over 100 violations before doing anything about it. At that point, why stop them? Just give them a loyalty card—10 more and they get a free helmet!

Those that ride bikes in Japan, have really good judgment, car drivers far riskier, as many riding bikes in my experience going to and from daycare with kids etc.

Never observed a 'wreck-less' cyclist but cars, that's the real problem. Seems a revenue $tax scheme more than anything, way to shake people down. As normal people don't want to cycle on busy roads after all = Too RISKY!

relatively minor traffic violations such as using a mobile phone while riding a bicycle or ignoring a traffic light,

I do not consider ignoring a red traffic light to be a minor traffic violation, regardless if done by a bicycle rider or by a car driver.

Chico3Today 10:03 am JST

What's a "pillion"? I've never heard of that word

pillion: sitting behind the person riding a motorcycle, bicycle, or horse

The word 'pillion' is frequently used in UK, but not really understood in the States.

This word is derived from Scottish Gaelic.

There are so many commenting in here, but as a person who regulary walks in Tokyo (work related) and around my house (45 mins in train from Tokyo Sta.) with my dog... bike riders for most of the time are awful.

Kids will be kids, and their dangerous way or riding bikes are one thing, another is gron ups riding bikes, some people have no regard for a person walking nor for road rules.

Earphone are prohibited when riding a bike, is also prohibited driving a car. By the way some here seem to have trouble to understand the difference between listening to music though speakers and earphones....(there lies the reason why is OK to listening to music in your car). I am not going to explain it.. since if you think a little you should be able to understand it (and there is a desibel regulation for cars too).

As a car driver... some bicicle riders are horrendous too, specially those guys who have little to no knowledge of what a bicicle lane is, or those who enter a non-bicicle roads and bridges.

And about the bone conduction earphones, there is no legal regulation for that specific type of earphones, but regulatorly speaking since those earphone do not plug the ear canals allowing to hear clearly the surrounding (considering the earphones volume is within normal levels) they might be allowed, but that depends on not only the law but also of the local regulations.

...sorry to let you down but there is no "Inaka cop"... all cops have experience working in the city as well as rural areas and they are for most of the time up to date on new equipment and regulations.

Helmet laws are bad laws. There are studies both ways but riding a bicycle is not an inherently dangerous activity and helmet laws reduce the number of people who cycle and increase the number of cars.

sources?

I soon expect to hear raised voices shouting 止まれ！as I live adjacent to a one-way with hundreds of law breakers every day….

Ah yes, nothing says “serious crackdown” like letting someone rack up over 100 violations before doing anything about it

Not what is meant at all.

3,000 yen for riding with a pillion

Pillion is considered a violation, but little babies in front and back are not. Make it make sense. Make it make real sense.

@proxy

Helmets should be used by cyclists.

Even if a cyclist is not doing stupid there are always others and hitting your head once on the concrete, I'm sure concrete wins.

Or you prefer the risk ending with brain damage or worse.

Keepitreal

Good now would be great time to crack down on people driving on their phones too..

Wouldn't that break their phones?

To some extent motor vehicles are more predicitable than cyclists- they stay basically within the road, they maintain a similar speed to the other motorists and they have mirrors and indicators etc.

"Stays basically within the road." That's your problem, Madam Negative. It's those small misjudgements by motorists that send cyclists to the morgue. Spoken like someone who doesn't cycle. Madam Negative has never been sideswiped by an overtaking vehicle, or threatened by one that turns without using the indicators, or endangered by any number of other clueless behaviors by drivers.

Pillion is considered a violation, but little babies in front and back are not. Make it make sense. Make it make real sense.

That's the law, like it or not.

@Wasabi & Albert

Enforcing damaging helmet laws is a real step backwards for Japan.

Studies done in Halifax, Canada showed a more than 50% reduction in the number of cyclists AND an increase in cycling related injuries after helmet laws were introduced. Similarly, in Alberta, Canada there was a 50% reduction in the number of children and adolescents cycling.

Similar statistics are available from both Australia and New Zealand. Not only that, but adjusted for the fewer number of cyclists, there was no change in the number of head injuries.

What was noticed in these places was a reduction of healthy exercise and an increase in more "polluting" forms of transportation.

@Daniel Neagari

Thank you for confirming that it is a Tokyo problem or at least perceived as a problem in Tokyo.

There is no reason to enforce these draconian rules in places like Ehime, Fukuoka or Kagoshima.

@proxy

Mate, you are getting really upset about Tokyo and bicycle helmets.

Those Jordan Henderson podcasts aren’t doing good things for you.

This is so great!!!

Cyclists are a NIGHTMARE in Tokyo - complete law unto themselves. They want pedestrian rules, cyclist rules and driver rules at the same time.

I regularly see cyclists break the road rules and play chicken with cars because they know all of the responsibility for an accident lays with the car driver, which is the stupidest rule of them all.

Write 'em up, officers! It will give you something to do!

@Jimizo

1 Bicycle helmet rules provide no benefit and if anything are detriment. 2 Tokyo is fine if you are in your 20's, a lot of fun. But if one isn't married or has no prospects by 30 they are failing in life and by age 35, failed in life. Tokyo is where people who have failed in life or are failing go to hide among the masses.

 fines imposed for relatively minor traffic violations such as using a mobile phone while riding a bicycle or ignoring a traffic light

Ignoring a traffic light, regardless if on foot, riding a bicycle or driving a car, should not be considered to be a 'minor traffic violation'. It's dangerous and a serious offence.

Rules for bicycles also should be updated, they should be required to have lights, front and rear, as they are difficult to see during night time in dark streets.

Bicycle helmets should be obligatory. They help to prevent head injuries.

@Yohan

Wrong on all counts.

1 Bicycle helmet rules provide no benefit and if anything are detriment. 2 Tokyo is fine if you are in your 20's, a lot of fun. But if one isn't married or has no prospects by 30 they are failing in life and by age 35, failed in life. Tokyo is where people who have failed in life or are failing go to hide among the masses.

Strange.

My experience of Tokyo was that it was home to the high-fliers, the HQs of the largest companies, the most job opportunities, the best schools, the best shops, the best hospitals, the best and most diverse restaurants, the best museums, the best live music scene…

Why would people leave that, married or unmarried, at 35? It is pricey though. Not being able to afford it is an issue.

Where are you living mate?

Why do the majority of us use bikes? Because we can’t afford cars. How about targeting drivers instead of the Lower paid members of society mainly trying to save money by cycling instead of taking a depressing over crowded train line. It helps that we use bikes instead of add to over crowding, stop picking on cyclists(who rarely kill anyone) and focus on noisy cars, drunk drivers and high emission cars..

Todays cyclist earphone or open ear head phones are made to set behind the ear. Not in the ear . So these listening aid can be used. I can still remember riding my bike and the enjoyment I got from riding flat river trials when I was a child. I still get the same enjoyment from riding trials. Never been a bike commuter. I ride for fun. Where I live has to have access to a long ride along a river or around a lake.

proxyApr. 25  10:09 am JST

@OssanAmerica

Helmet laws are bad laws. There are studies both ways but riding a bicycle is not an inherently dangerous activity and helmet laws reduce the number of people who cycle and increase the number of cars.

Only a person who has never personally been in a bicycle accident could say such a thing.

"Pillion is considered a violation, but little babies in front and back are not. Make it make sense. Make it make real sense."

do you really want to live in a country where mothers can't ride around with little children? move to america! (i'm american, so no offense!)

"Ignoring a traffic light, regardless if on foot, riding a bicycle or driving a car, should not be considered to be a 'minor traffic violation'. It's dangerous and a serious offence."

different thinking for sure, but when i'm standing in front of the red don't walk signal and i look right and left and no car is coming and i cross and the twenty or thirty odd people remain waiting i just think 'sheep'!

@OssanAmerica

If you, yourself hit your head, a high quality ¥20,000 MIPS helmet will certainly help but on a population level, no benefit has been shown anywhere. Cyclists already choose to wear helmets. Forcing moms and casual commuters to wear a helmet gives them a false sense of security that leads to more accidents and injuries and in addition car drivers give less space to a mom with a helmet on than a mom without a helmet also leading to more accidents and injuries.

@john b

People in the rest of Japan just cross. I'm always surprised at pedestrians in Tokyo waiting at a red light at 6:00 AM when there are no cars.

john bApr. 26 11:23 pm JST

different thinking for sure, but when i'm standing in front of the red don't walk signal and i look right and left and no car is coming and i cross and the twenty or thirty odd people remain waiting i just think 'sheep'!

In Australia, USA and Europe and many other countries, walking or riding a bicycle through a red light - regardless if there are cars or not, is illegal and can result in a fine. Fines for pedestrian violations are however generally lower than fines for vehicular violations. 

Why should it not be an offence in Japan?

Running a red light, while walking (jaywalking) or riding a bicycle, is dangerous and can lead to accidents.

proxyApr. 27  12:30 am JST

@OssanAmerica

If you, yourself hit your head, a high quality ¥20,000 MIPS helmet will certainly help but on a population level, no benefit has been shown anywhere.

Like I said, if you've never experienced a bicycle accident you'll never understand. "if you hit your head" is a ridiculous concept, as any bicycle accident either alone, another person, another bike or car will invariably result in the bicycle rider scrapping their head hard on asphalt.

No one needs a Y20,000 helmet. A good brand helmet (Like BELL) at around Y10000 or less is ample, with the proper MIPS construction and meeting standards like U.S. CPSC or the EU EN 1078 or JIS T8133. Studies have shown that bicycle helmets can reduce the risk of head injury by about 50% and the risk of brain injury by up to 70%. Just avoid no name helmets nearly all MIC and very cheap.

Like I said, if you've never experienced a bicycle accident you'll never understand. "if you hit your head" is a ridiculous concept, as any bicycle accident either alone, another person, another bike or car will invariably result in the bicycle rider scrapping their head hard on asphalt.

By that logic, it should be compulsory for cyclists to wear full leathers.