![Shin Tomei exp JD19k11a](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/12/Shin_Tomei_exp_JD19k11a.jpg)
Statutory speed limit in Japan defaults to for divided
national expressways and for any other roads, unless otherwise posted. The highest speed limit in Japan is on some sections of
Shin-Tōmei Expressway (E1A) and
Tōhoku Expressway (E4). Urban two-way streets are usually zoned at or less.
Summary
Statutory maximum speed limits of applies on divided national expressways and on other roads. There are no separate urban or rural statutory limits. Urban and rural limits are set by zoning rather than statute. Statutory speed limits for heavy trucks with
GVWR
Vehicle weight is a measurement of wheeled motor vehicles; either an actual measured weight of the vehicle under defined conditions or a gross weight rating for its weight carrying capacity.
Curb or kerb weight
Curb weight (U.S. English) or kerb ...
over , trailers and three-wheelers are restricted to on divided national expressways.
Implementation of speed limits in Japan can be summarized as:
* regulatory speed limits of on residential streets and are common for urban two-lane roads.
* regulatory speed limit of or is common in rural areas due to rugged mountainous terrain.
* regulatory speed limit cannot be set higher than for any streets with an at-grade intersection, or where pedestrians or cyclists are permitted.
* undivided expressways have a limit of .
*
variable speed limits are in effect on most national expressways.
*
emergency vehicles
An emergency vehicle is a vehicle used by emergency services. Emergency vehicles typically have specialized emergency lighting and vehicle equipment that allow emergency services to reach calls for service in a timely manner, transport equipment a ...
are not exempt but have speed limit of on most roads and on divided national expressways, unless higher speed limit is posted. Police vehicles are exempt during speeding enforcement.
Enforcement
Speed camera
A threshold for speed cameras in Japan is set at a minimum of above the limit on an expressway and a minimum of 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.
Police enforcement
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 20 km/h (12 MPH) above the speed limit on an expressway and 15 km/h (9 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 0–15 km/h (0-9 MPH) over the limit.
Of the 199 tickets for speeding 0–15 km/h (0-9 MPH) over the limit,
Iwate Prefectural Police alone issued 166 tickets.
For speeding between 15 and 20 km/h over the limit,
Hokkaido
is Japan's second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by the undersea railway Seikan Tunnel.
The la ...
,
Aichi
is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshū. Aichi Prefecture has a population of 7,552,873 () and a geographic area of with a population density of . Aichi Prefecture borders Mie Prefecture to the west, Gifu Prefectu ...
,
Kyoto
Kyoto (; Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in Japan. Located in the Kansai region on the island of Honshu, Kyoto forms a part of the Keihanshin metropolitan area along with Osaka and Kobe. , the ci ...
,
Osaka
is a designated city in the Kansai region of Honshu in Japan. It is the capital of and most populous city in Osaka Prefecture, and the third most populous city in Japan, following Special wards of Tokyo and Yokohama. With a population of 2. ...
and
Fukuoka
is the sixth-largest city in Japan, the second-largest port city after Yokohama, and the capital city of Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. The city is built along the shores of Hakata Bay, and has been a center of international commerce since ancie ...
had the largest shares of tickets issued.
In contrast,
Okinawa
is a prefecture of Japan. Okinawa Prefecture is the southernmost and westernmost prefecture of Japan, has a population of 1,457,162 (as of 2 February 2020) and a geographic area of 2,281 km2 (880 sq mi).
Naha is the capital and largest city ...
did not issue any tickets for speeding between 0–20 km/h (0-12 MPH) over the limit.
Tokyo Metropolitan Police
The serves as the prefectural police department of Tokyo Metropolis. Founded in 1874, it is headed by a Superintendent-General, who is appointed by the National Public Safety Commission, and approved by the Prime Minister.
The Tokyo Metro ...
issued a total of 68,693 speeding tickets, but gave out only seven tickets for speeding between 0–20 km/h (0-12 MPH) over the limit.
Some jurisdictions, such as Tokyo Metropolitan Police, release traffic enforcement locations on their websites.
警視庁 公開交通取締り
- Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department
Speed limit guidelines
In Japan, speed limit cannot be set higher than for any streets with at-grade intersection or where pedestrians or cyclists are permitted. In other words, the street must be converted to controlled-access highway
A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway and expressway. Other similar terms i ...
with costly grade separation
In civil engineering (more specifically highway engineering), grade separation is a method of aligning a junction of two or more surface transport axes at different heights (grades) so that they will not disrupt the traffic flow on other tran ...
to achieve speed limits higher than . There is also major distinguishment between and when setting speed limits and different criteria are used.
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
Speed limits for surface streets are set within ± of the reference speed limit below. Reference speed limits do not apply to expressways.
Expressways
Speed limits for expressways are set at or the lowest adaptation speed derived from each expressway design speed criteria below. Intercity expressways typically have higher speed limits, while urban expressways within major cities often have limits and two-lane expressway
A two-lane expressway or two-lane freeway is an expressway or freeway with only one lane in each direction, and usually no median barrier. It may be built that way because of constraints, or may be intended for expansion once traffic volumes ris ...
s, typically in rural and remote areas, have limits for undivided and limits 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 the statutory speed of for heavy trucks and for other vehicles. Two sets of variable speed limit signs are installed when the regulatory speed exceeds statutory speed of on national expressways or on other roads to regulate the maximum speed of trucks, trailers and three-wheelers to .
References
{{Asia topic, Speed limits in
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
Road transport in Japan
ja:最高速度#日本の最高速度