Latest news with #KusunokiYoshinobu
NHK
10-06-2025
- Automotive
- NHK
Japan police chief calls for more effort to prevent accidents by foreign drivers
The head of Japan's National Police Agency has instructed police headquarters across the country to step up measures to prevent traffic accidents caused by foreign drivers. National Police Agency Commissioner General Kusunoki Yoshinobu spoke at a meeting in Tokyo on Tuesday. It was attended by about 80 people, including traffic bureau chiefs of police headquarters. Traffic accidents involving foreign drivers have been increasing in Japan. Kusunoki said his agency will work to improve traffic safety education so that foreign drivers have a better understanding of traffic rules and driving etiquette in Japan. He instructed the officials to ensure firms that employ foreign drivers properly educate them about road safety through training. He also said they should work with car rental companies to inform foreign customers about traffic rules and driving etiquette. The agency chief told them to do more to crack down on unlicensed taxis drivers who use private vehicles to provide foreign tourists with fee-charging transportation services. The agency says there were 7,286 accidents involving vehicles and motorbikes driven by foreign nationals last year, up more than 1,800 from five years earlier.
NHK
22-05-2025
- NHK
Japan's police chief seeks tougher rules to convert to Japanese driver's license
The chief of Japan's National Police Agency has called for tougher rules on a system for converting foreign driver's licenses to Japanese ones. He expressed the view that overseas tourists should be banned from using the system. National Police Agency Commissioner General Kusunoki Yoshinobu told reporters on Thursday that there are growing calls for revisions to the system, citing a series of accidents involving foreign drivers who obtained a Japanese driver's license through the system. The system allows holders of a driver's license obtained overseas to convert it to a Japanese one by passing a written exam testing their knowledge about rules of the road and a practical exam to test their actual driving skills. But the police agency is now considering revising the system amid growing criticism among lawmakers. Some have pointed out that even short-term visitors to Japan, such as tourists without a residence certificate, can apply by using a temporary address, such as a hotel, as their place of residence. They are also criticizing the knowledge test for being too easy. Kusunoki emphasized the need to tighten address verification by requiring applicants to submit residence certificates regardless of nationality. He also expressed the view that tourists and other short-term visitors should not be allowed to convert their licenses to Japanese ones. He also stated that the knowledge and skills tests should be made stricter to ensure that applicants fully understand Japan's rules of the road. Meanwhile, the police agency acknowledges that changes to Japan's system could affect Japanese citizens seeking to convert their licenses abroad. The agency is now studying the driver's license conversion systems in other countries.
