Overview

• In the first half of 2025, Japan logged 1,161 traffic fatalities, marking the second-lowest total since comparable records began in 1956 and a decrease of 21 year on year.
• Pedestrian deaths fell by 32 to 411, while fatalities among vehicle occupants increased by five compared with the same period last year.
• Deaths and serious injuries linked to mobile phone use reached 68 cases, the highest annual count since data collection began in 2007.
• Crashes involving foreign drivers rose by 19 to 258 incidents, representing a three-year growth trend and the largest share of total severe accidents since 2005.
• Iwate Prefecture reported 880 traffic injuries—the highest in five years—despite a drop in deaths to 10, with elderly drivers featuring prominently in the increase.