In Japan, drivers navigating residential streets are now required to reduce their speed, as the speed limit has been lowered from 60 km/h (37 mph) to 30 km/h. This initiative aims to enhance the safety of pedestrians on the country’s narrow urban roads.
The revised speed limit came into effect on Tuesday and is enforced on residential streets that lack center lines and maximum speed signage, as reported by various media outlets.
Narrow roads without center markings or sidewalks are prevalent in Japan’s densely populated cities. Statistics reveal that both children and elderly individuals are particularly vulnerable to severe accidents in these areas.
The new regulations will impact approximately 870,000 kilometers of roadways that are under 5.5 meters wide and do not feature center lines or median barriers, according to the Mainichi Shimbun. These roads represent around 70% of the nation’s total road network.
Authorities are optimistic that this measure will tackle the issue of inadequate safety improvements in residential zones compared to larger thoroughfares.
Although the overall traffic accident death toll has decreased, reaching a historic low of 2,457 last year, fatalities involving children and older adults on residential streets have remained consistent at about 300 annually since 2021. Disturbingly, this number increased for the first time in three years in 2025, as per data from the national police agency.
Since the implementation of “zone 30” areas in 2011 on select residential roads and school routes, there has been a reported 30% decrease in deaths and serious injuries, according to the Mainichi.
The police agency’s data indicates that the fatality rate for pedestrians involved in accidents with vehicles traveling at or below 30 km/h is under 1%. This rate escalates to 2.7% at speeds between 30-40 km/h and spikes to 17.4% when vehicles are moving at 50-60 km/h.
Yoshinobu Kusunoki, the commissioner general of the police agency, urged drivers to be particularly vigilant on roads shared with pedestrians and cyclists during a press briefing this week.
