Japan to Fine 12,000 Yen for Using Mobile Phone while Bicycling

   Tokyo, June 17 (Jiji Press)--The Diet, Japan's parliament, on Tuesday enacted a bill to introduce a "blue ticket" system to impose fines on bicycle riders aged 16 or older for minor traffic violations, effective April 1, 2026.
   Under the system, fines between 3,000 yen and 12,000 yen will be imposed for 113 types of traffic violations, including 12,000 yen for using a mobile phone while riding a bicycle, 6,000 yen for ignoring traffic signals and 3,000 yen for double riding.
   Before the enactment, 5,926 public comments were submitted about the new system, and many of them claimed that it is unreasonable to penalize bicycling on sidewalks.
   According to the National Police Agency, cyclists riding on sidewalks will be fined if they ride at dangerously high speeds or fail to comply with police warnings.

(2025/06/17-20:25)