Tokyo: Japan has halved the speed limit on narrow residential roads from 60km/h to 30km/h, in a nationwide road safety measure aimed at reducing deaths and serious injuries among pedestrians.
The new 30km/h speed limit came into effect on Tuesday and applies to residential roads without centre lines or designated maximum speed signs. Narrow roads without pavements are common across Japan’s densely populated cities, creating particular risks for children and older people.
According to the Mainichi Shimbun, the new speed limit covers around 870,000km of roads less than 5.5 metres wide that do not have centre lines or median strips. These roads represent approximately 70 percent of Japan’s general roads, making the change one of the country’s broadest speed limit measures.
Japan expands 30km/h speed limit
Authorities introduced the lower speed limit to address safety concerns in residential areas, where improvements in traffic safety have not matched those recorded on larger roads.
Overall traffic deaths in Japan have continued to decline, reaching a record low of 2,457 in 2025. However, fatal and serious accidents involving children and older people on residential roads have remained at around 300 cases a year since 2021.
The number also increased in 2025 for the first time in three years, strengthening calls for measures such as the new 30km/h speed limit.
Speed limit linked to pedestrian safety
Japan’s earlier ‘Zone 30’ speed limit initiative, introduced in 2011 on selected residential streets and school routes, reportedly resulted in a 30 percent reduction in fatalities and serious injuries, according to the latest reports.
National police agency data also show how vehicle speed can affect pedestrian survival rates. The mortality rate in pedestrian accidents involving vehicles travelling at or below 30km/h is less than 1 percent. The mortality rate rises to 2.7 percent when vehicles travel between 30km/h and 40km/h, while it reaches 17.4 percent at speeds between 50km/h and 60km/h.
The figures have reinforced the importance of the new 30km/h speed limit, particularly on roads where vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists share limited space. Police Agency Commissioner General Yoshinobu Kusunoki urged motorists to exercise particular caution on roads shared by vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists.
Kusunoki added that drivers should recognise the additional risks on these streets and adjust their behaviour accordingly as the new speed limit comes into force across much of Japan.
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