TOKYO, Japan Wire - The Japanese government will begin rolling out road traffic safety measures targeting foreign visitors driving rental cars in response to an increase in related accidents following the recovery of inbound tourism, the transport ministry said in July.
Accidents involving rental cars driven by foreign motorists holding international driving permits or foreign driver's licenses more than quadrupled in five years, from 47 in 2020 to 212 in 2025, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.
With traffic keeping to the left in Japan, a high proportion of the accidents occur when drivers attempt right turns at intersections.
Starting with roads around Hokkaido's New Chitose Airport, Fukuoka Airport in southwestern Japan, and Okinawa’s Naha Airport, the first set of safety measures will include colored road surfacing to indicate the correct path for making right turns at intersections and rubber bollards aimed at preventing drivers from entering lanes for oncoming traffic.
Additional signs reminding drivers to keep left will be installed in areas with a high concentration of rental car companies.
The ministry said the safety measures will help create a clear and safe environment for all road users, including elderly drivers and those unfamiliar with the area.
The three airports were selected for the initial rollout because of the comparatively large number of foreign visitors renting cars in each area and the large proportion of visitors from countries or regions where traffic flows on the right.
After analyzing traffic data collected during the busy summer travel season, the government plans to roll out the measures on national roads near the airports within the current fiscal year.
The planned rollout builds on previous efforts to prevent traffic accidents involving rental cars driven by foreign nationals.
In a trail launched in 2017, authorities installed warning signs at high-risk accident locations identified using data from vehicles equipped with the electronic toll collection system (ETC).
The trial reported a 60-percent reduction in cases of sudden braking where signs were installed, according to the ministry.
In addition to the latest set of safety measures, the Japan Tourism Agency will conduct a survey of the current situation regarding the use of rental cars among foreign visitors.
Based on the survey results and the effectiveness of the initial measures, the tourism agency and the ministry’s Road Bureau will consider ways to enhance and expand the measures across Japan.
With traffic keeping to the right in the majority of countries and regions around the world, Japan is not alone in reminding visiting foreign drivers to keep left on its roads.
In the U.K., where traffic also flows on the left, the Scottish government and its road safety agency again launched their "Drive on the Left" campaign in June ahead of the busy summer season, targeting foreign visitors who come to experience Scotland's rural landscapes by car.
The campaign includes wristbands distributed to drivers at car rental agencies and other locations, reminding them to keep left, as well as videos in Japanese and other languages highlighting key points about driving in Scotland.
This article was submitted by a contributing writer for publication on Japan Wire.
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