After years of tolerating anarchy on its roads, Japan is laying down the law on cyclists: parasols are blacklisted, wobbly steering could land you in legal peril and woe betide shoppers caught pedalling back from the supermarket with unevenly loaded bags.
From April 1, police across Japan have begun enforcing a 2024 amendment to the 1960 Traffic Act that imposes fines for 113 cycling violations, many of them relatively minor rule infractions.
For decades, cyclists have woven along Japan’s streets and pavements without the need for a licence, and facing little interference from law enforcement or social disapproval. About 8mn Japanese were using bicycles as part of their commute to work or school at the time of the last census in 2020.
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