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Speed limits in Japan
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Speed limits in Japan
The highest speed limit in Japan is 120 km/h (75 mph), which applies on sections of Shin-Tōmei Expressway (E1A) and Tōhoku Expressway (E4), and expressways in the Kantō Plain leading to Tokyo, although a speed limit of 120 km/h is planned to be introduced on some more expressways.
Statutory speed limit defaults to 100 km/h (approximately 62 mph) for national divided expressways or 70 km/h (43 mph) for undivided expressways, 30 km/h (19 mph) for undivided roads without center line (from September 1, 2026) and 60 km/h (37 mph) for any other roads (unless otherwise posted). Urban two-way streets are usually zoned at 40 km/h (25 mph) or less. However, the statutory speed limit for divided expressways is (since April 1, 2024) 90 km/h (56 mph) for a truck with GVWR over 8 t (17,640 lb) and a maximum load over 5 t (11,020 lb), and 80 km/h (50 mph) for motor vehicles with a trailer and three-wheelers (and before April 2024 also for trucks over 8 t). There are no separate urban or rural statutory limits. Urban and rural limits are set by zoning rather than statute.
Implementation of speed limits in Japan can be summarized as:
A threshold for speed cameras in Japan is set at a minimum of 39 km/h (24 mph) above the limit on an expressway and a minimum of 29 km/h (18 mph) above the limit on other streets, where drivers will face criminal charges instead of traffic infractions. This is due to legal precedents dating back to 1969 restricting police from filming an individual unless a criminal offence is immediately being committed.
Although there is no official tolerance for exceeding the speed limit, most drivers in Japan tend to drive over the speed limit on major roads. Police enforcement varies depending on the jurisdiction, officers, traffic flow and street types, but 19 km/h (12 mph) above the speed limit on an expressway and 14 km/h (8.7 mph) above the limit are generally tolerated on other streets.
In 2020, a total of 1,162,420 speeding tickets were issued across Japan, and only 199 tickets were issued for speeding between 0 and 14 km/h (0.0 and 8.7 mph) over the limit. Of the 199 tickets for speeding 0–14 km/h (0.0–8.7 mph) over the limit, Iwate Prefectural Police alone issued 166 tickets. For speeding between 15 and 19 km/h (9.3 and 11.8 mph) over the limit, Hokkaido, Aichi, Kyoto, Osaka and Fukuoka had the largest shares of tickets issued.
In contrast, Okinawa did not issue any tickets for speeding between 0 and 19 km/h (0 and 12 mph) over the limit. Tokyo Metropolitan Police issued a total of 68,693 speeding tickets, but gave out only seven tickets for speeding between 0 and 19 km/h (0 and 12 mph) over the limit. Some jurisdictions, such as Tokyo Metropolitan Police, release traffic enforcement locations on their websites.
There is also a major distinction between surface streets (一般道路, ippan dōro) and expressways (高速道路, kōsoku dōro) in terms of speed limit regulations, with different criteria applied for each.
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Speed limits in Japan
The highest speed limit in Japan is 120 km/h (75 mph), which applies on sections of Shin-Tōmei Expressway (E1A) and Tōhoku Expressway (E4), and expressways in the Kantō Plain leading to Tokyo, although a speed limit of 120 km/h is planned to be introduced on some more expressways.
Statutory speed limit defaults to 100 km/h (approximately 62 mph) for national divided expressways or 70 km/h (43 mph) for undivided expressways, 30 km/h (19 mph) for undivided roads without center line (from September 1, 2026) and 60 km/h (37 mph) for any other roads (unless otherwise posted). Urban two-way streets are usually zoned at 40 km/h (25 mph) or less. However, the statutory speed limit for divided expressways is (since April 1, 2024) 90 km/h (56 mph) for a truck with GVWR over 8 t (17,640 lb) and a maximum load over 5 t (11,020 lb), and 80 km/h (50 mph) for motor vehicles with a trailer and three-wheelers (and before April 2024 also for trucks over 8 t). There are no separate urban or rural statutory limits. Urban and rural limits are set by zoning rather than statute.
Implementation of speed limits in Japan can be summarized as:
A threshold for speed cameras in Japan is set at a minimum of 39 km/h (24 mph) above the limit on an expressway and a minimum of 29 km/h (18 mph) above the limit on other streets, where drivers will face criminal charges instead of traffic infractions. This is due to legal precedents dating back to 1969 restricting police from filming an individual unless a criminal offence is immediately being committed.
Although there is no official tolerance for exceeding the speed limit, most drivers in Japan tend to drive over the speed limit on major roads. Police enforcement varies depending on the jurisdiction, officers, traffic flow and street types, but 19 km/h (12 mph) above the speed limit on an expressway and 14 km/h (8.7 mph) above the limit are generally tolerated on other streets.
In 2020, a total of 1,162,420 speeding tickets were issued across Japan, and only 199 tickets were issued for speeding between 0 and 14 km/h (0.0 and 8.7 mph) over the limit. Of the 199 tickets for speeding 0–14 km/h (0.0–8.7 mph) over the limit, Iwate Prefectural Police alone issued 166 tickets. For speeding between 15 and 19 km/h (9.3 and 11.8 mph) over the limit, Hokkaido, Aichi, Kyoto, Osaka and Fukuoka had the largest shares of tickets issued.
In contrast, Okinawa did not issue any tickets for speeding between 0 and 19 km/h (0 and 12 mph) over the limit. Tokyo Metropolitan Police issued a total of 68,693 speeding tickets, but gave out only seven tickets for speeding between 0 and 19 km/h (0 and 12 mph) over the limit. Some jurisdictions, such as Tokyo Metropolitan Police, release traffic enforcement locations on their websites.
There is also a major distinction between surface streets (一般道路, ippan dōro) and expressways (高速道路, kōsoku dōro) in terms of speed limit regulations, with different criteria applied for each.
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