From April next year at the earliest, if you are caught driving a bicycle in Japan, looking at a mobile phone or listening to music through earphones, you can be fined.
Japan’s National Police Agency plans to implement a bicycle traffic violation penalty system established by the revised Road Traffic Act from April 1 next year, local media such as Fuji News Network (FNN) reported on the 24th.
Penalties such as 12,000 yen for using a smartphone while driving a bicycle, 6,000 yen for signal violations, and 5,000 yen for listening to music with earphones or driving with an umbrella.
Drivers subject to fines are 16 years of age or older. Failure to pay fines, which are administrative measures, could result in criminal punishment. Last year, the revised Road Traffic Act stipulated that bicycle driving under the influence of alcohol is subject to imprisonment for up to three years (or a fine of up to 500,000 yen).
However, the Asahi Shimbun reported, “The Japanese National Police Agency does not target all violations and is considering imposing fines on drivers who do not follow police officers’ guidance and warnings or cause danger.”
EJ SONG
US ASIA JOURNAL
