Japan Passes Bill Setting Speed and Alcohol Limits for Dangerous Driving Charges

Japan's House of Representatives unanimously approved a bill Thursday that introduces numerical standards for determining when drivers can be charged with dangerous driving resulting in death or injury. The legislation revises the existing law on punishment for acts causing death or injury by automobile driving.

It had already cleared the upper chamber in April. Under the revised law, drivers exceeding the speed limit by more than 50 kilometers per hour on ordinary roads will face dangerous driving charges in accidents resulting in death or injury. On expressways, the threshold is more than 60 kilometers per hour over the posted limit.

The bill also sets alcohol thresholds for dangerous driving at 0.5 milligrams or more per liter of breath or 1.0 milligrams or more per milliliter of blood. These levels are equivalent to consumption of two 633-milliliter bottles of beer by an adult.

Additional conduct covered includes drifting, defined as intentionally causing loss of wheel traction to allow the vehicle to skid sideways. Cases falling below the numerical thresholds may still qualify as dangerous driving if prosecutors determine the driver created extreme traffic dangers or could not operate normally due to alcohol.

The changes address inconsistent application of dangerous driving charges under prior vague standards such as driving at speeds too high to control a vehicle. One cited case involved a 2021 fatal accident in Oita where a vehicle reached 194 kilometers per hour.

A supplementary resolution adopted by the Lower House Judicial Affairs Committee calls for further discussion on whether using smartphones while driving should be added to the list of dangerous driving acts. The law is expected to be enforced in the summer.