Speed limits in Japan
The highest speed limit in Japan is 120 km/h (approximately 74.6 mph), which applies on sections of Shin-Tōmei Expressway (E1A) and Tōhoku Expressway (E4), and expressways in the Kantō Plain leading to Tokyo,[1][2] although a speed limit of 120 km/h is planned to be introduced on some more expressways.[3]
Statutory speed limit defaults to 100 km/h (approximately 62.13712 mph) for national divided expressways or 70 km/h (43.5 mph) for undivided expressways, 30 km/h (approximately 18.64 mph) for undivided roads without center line (from September 1, 2026) and 60 km/h (approximately 37.3 mph) for any other roads (unless otherwise posted).[4] Urban two-way streets are usually zoned at 40 km/h (24.855 mph) or less.[5] 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 (49.71 mph) for motor vehicles with a trailer and three-wheelers (and before April 2024 also for trucks over 8 t).[6] 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:
- regulatory speed limits of 30 km/h on residential streets and 40 km/h are common for urban two-lane roads.
- regulatory speed limit of 40 or 50 km/h is common in rural areas due to rugged mountainous terrain.
- variable speed limits are in effect on most national expressways.
- emergency vehicles are not exempt but have speed limit of 80 km/h on most roads and 100 km/h on divided national expressways, unless higher speed limit is posted. Police vehicles are exempt during speeding enforcement.
Enforcement
[edit]
Speed camera
[edit]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.[7]
Police enforcement
[edit]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.[8][9] 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.[10]
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.[11] 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.[11] 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.[11]
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.[11] Some jurisdictions, such as Tokyo Metropolitan Police, release traffic enforcement locations on their websites.[12]
Speed limit guidelines
[edit]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.
Although some surface streets such as viaducts, trunk and bypass roads are built to expressway standards, many are not legally classified as expressways and are typically distinguishable by the colour of direction signs: surface streets use blue direction signs while expressways use green signs.
Surface streets
[edit]Speed limits for surface streets are set within ±10 km/h (6.2 mph) of the reference speed limit below. Reference speed limits do not apply to expressways.
A speed limit may not exceed 60 km/h for any streets with at-grade intersections or where pedestrians or cyclists are permitted. To exceed the 60 km/h threshold, the street must undergo costly grade separation to become a controlled-access highway.
| Class | Area | Travel Lanes | Divided | Pedestrian Volumes | 85th Percentile Speed[15] | Reference Speed Limit | Factors affecting the Reference Speed Limit (Reason for deviating from 85th speed) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Urban | 2 lanes | - | High | 51.9 km/h | 40 km/h | Urban and high pedestrian volumes |
| 2 | Low | 57.1 km/h | 50 km/h | Urban | |||
| 3 | 4+ lanes | Yes | High | 59.0 km/h | 50 km/h | Urban and high pedestrian volumes | |
| 4 | Low | 64.1 km/h | 60 km/h | Urban | |||
| 5 | No | High | 58.7 km/h | 50 km/h | Urban, high pedestrian volumes, and undivided | ||
| 6 | Low | 63.9 km/h | 50 km/h | Urban and undivided | |||
| 7 | Rural | 2 lanes | - | High | 58.2 km/h | 50 km/h | High pedestrian volumes |
| 8 | Low | 63.3 km/h | 60 km/h | Maximum speed set by police | |||
| 9 | 4+ lanes | Yes | High | 65.3 km/h | 60 km/h | Pedestrian | |
| 10 | Low | 70.4 km/h | 60 km/h | Maximum speed set by police | |||
| 11 | No | High | 65.0 km/h | 50 km/h | High pedestrian volumes and undivided | ||
| 12 | Low | 70.1 km/h | 60 km/h | Undivided | |||
|
30 km/h (±0 km/h) |
20 km/h limit may be set on case-by-case basis for the following:
| |||||
|
70 km/h or 80 km/h (±0 km/h) |
For speed limits 70 km/h and above, the road should be closed to pedestrians, cyclists, and mopeds in principle. | |||||
Definitions
| |||||||
Expressways
[edit]A speed limit can be set at maximum 120 km/h (approximately 74.6 mph) on a divided expressway, if it has low crash rates, both the lowest adaptation speed and design speed is 120 km/h and the length is 20 km (12 miles) or more; on an undivided expressway, the speed limit can be set at maximum 70 km/h (43.5 mph).
The speed limit is set with the lowest "structure compatible speed" (構造適合速度, kōzō tekigō sokudo) criteria below, that is based on design speed in some factors.[14] Unlike surface streets, there is no range limit such as ±10 km/h. Therefore, the speed limit can be modified without limit as long as 100 km/h or lower, but the adaptation speed should be "respected".
Intercity expressways typically have higher speed limits, while urban expressways within major cities often have a speed limit of 60 km/h (37.3 mph) and two-lane expressways, typically in rural and remote areas, have 70 km/h (43.5 mph) for simplified division such as guide posts and 80 km/h (49.71 mph) with physical separation.
Most expressways outside of cities have active variable speed limit signs and maximum speeds are lowered according to road conditions such as congestions, accidents, constructions and severe weather. When the statutory speed limits are in effect on national expressways, variable speed limit signs are left blank to indicate that the statutory speed limit applies. Two sets of variable speed limit signs are installed when the regulatory speed limit exceeds the statutory speed limit, which is 100 km/h on national divided expressways or 80 km/h on other roads, to regulate the speed limit for motor vehicles with a trailer and three-wheelers (which always is 80 km/h).
Even some 4-lane expressways have 70 km/h speed limit.[18] There is, however, no speed limit of 90 km/h, although it is allowed.[19]
| Curve Radius (m) | Adaptation Speed | Design standard | Exceptional | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Superelevation (%) Inclusive-Exclusive | |||||||||
| 0 - 1 | 1 - 2 | 2 - 3 | 3 - 4 | 4 - 5 | 5 - 6 | 6 - 7 | Curve radius (m) | ||
| 1134 | 1031 | 945 | 872 | 810 | 756 | 709 | 120 km/h | (710) | (570) |
| 716 | 656 | 606 | 562 | 525 | 492 | 463 | 100 km/h | (460) | (380) |
| 420 | 388 | 360 | 336 | 315 | 296 | 280 | 80 km/h | (280) | (230) |
| 218 | 202 | 189 | 177 | 167 | 157 | 149 | 60 km/h | (150) | (120) |
| 141 | 131 | 123 | 116 | 109 | 104 | 98 | 50 km/h | (100) | (80) |
| 84 | 79 | 74 | 70 | 66 | 63 | 60 | 40 km/h | (60) | (50) |
| 47 | 44 | 42 | 39 | 37 | 35 | 34 | 30 km/h | (30) | |
| 21 | 20 | 19 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 20 km/h | (15) | |
| Sight distance | Adaptation Speed |
|---|---|
| 210 m ≤ | 120 km/h |
| 160 m - 210 m | 100 km/h |
| 110 m - 160 m | 80 km/h |
| 75 m - 110 m | 60 km/h |
| 55 m - 75 m | 50 km/h |
| 40 m - 55 m | 40 km/h |
| 30 m - 40 m | 30 km/h |
| < 30 m | 20 km/h |
| Combined Gradient | Adaptation Speed |
|---|---|
| Below 10% | 120 km/h |
| 10% but below 10.5% | 80 km/h |
| Above 10.5% but below 11.5% | 50 km/h |
| Slope | Adaptation Speed |
|---|---|
| 5% and below | 120 km/h |
| Above 5% but less than 6% | 100 km/h |
| Above 6% but less than 7% | 80 km/h |
| Above 7% but less than 8% | 60 km/h |
| Above 8% but less than 9% | 50 km/h |
| Above 9% but less than 10% | 40 km/h |
lane width (3.5 m ≤ : 120 km/h, < 3.5 m : 80 km/h)
shoulder width (1.75 m ≤ : 120 km/h, < 1.75 m : 80 km/h)
References
[edit]- ^ "新東名高速道路における最高速度120キロの試行開始について" (in Japanese). 2 February 2019. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
- ^ "高速自動車国道等の最高速度" (in Japanese). Retrieved 4 July 2023.
- ^ https://newsonjapan.com/article/127903.php
- ^ "The Order for Enforcement of the Road Traffic Act (Japanese)". Government of Japan. Government of Japan. Retrieved 22 February 2017.
- ^ "Driving in Japan". Japan-Guide.com. Japan-Guide.com. Retrieved 22 February 2017.
- ^ "道路交通法施行令" (in Japanese). Retrieved 19 May 2024.
- ^ 刑集第23巻12号1625頁
- ^ "自動車の走行速度を規定する要因に関する調査研究" (PDF). International Association of Traffic and Safety Sciences. March 1991.
- ^ "自動車の走行速度と道路の設計速度・最高速度規制との関係" (PDF).
- ^ 速度規制の目的と現状 P.12 - National Police Agency of Japan
- ^ a b c d Imai, Ryoichi (August 23, 2021). "東京と沖縄は20キロ未満を相手にしない？ 都道府県別に見るスピード違反取り締まりの実態". ドライバーWeb.
- ^ 警視庁 公開交通取締り - Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department
- ^ National Police Agency; 規制速度決定の在り方に関する調査研究検討委員会 (March 2009). 平成20年度 規制速度決定の在り方に関する調査研究 報告書 (PDF) (Report). pp. 1, 10, 12–13, 15–18, 27, 36, 39, 41–51.
- ^ a b 警察庁交通局 (2017-04-24), 交通規制基準 (PDF), pp. 120–128
- ^ National Police Agency; 規制速度決定の在り方に関する調査研究検討委員会 (March 2009). 平成20年度 規制速度決定の在り方に関する調査研究 報告書 (PDF) (Report). p. 8.
表 2-4 数量化I類による計算結果（85 パーセンタイル速度）
- ^ 警察庁交通局; 交通規制課 (2014-04-02), 最高速度規制の点検・見直し等の更なる推進について(通達) (PDF), p. 3
- ^ 生活道路におけるゾーン対策推進調査研究検討委員会 (March 2011). 生活道路におけるゾーン対策推進調査研究報告書 (PDF) (Report). p. 23.
- ^ 警察庁; 規制速度決定の在り方に関する調査研究検討委員会 (February 2007). 平成18年度 規制速度決定の在り方に関する調査研究 報告書 (PDF) (Report). p. 26. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2019-04-30.
- ^ 警察庁交通局交通規制課 (2013-09-25). 第２回 速度規制等ワーキンググループ議事概要 (PDF). 交通事故抑止に資する取締り・速度規制等の在り方に関する懇談会. p. 19.
