Law on Electric Kickboards has been Amended in Japan
On April 19, 2022, an amendment to the Road Traffic Law was passed.
After the amended law comes into effect, electric kickboards will be treated similarly to electric bicycles, which will no longer require a driver’s license or helmet.
Until now, electric kickboards were treated the same as scooters with engines. So, blinkers, license plates, etc. were required.
Under the new Road Traffic Law, electric kickboards will be classified under a newly established vehicle category.
The maximum speed of electric kickboards must be 20 kilometers per hour. A driver’s license is not required.
But the age limit is 16 years or older, and wearing a helmet is now an effort requirement.
So even if the new law is enforced, I cannot go out with my child on an electric kickboard.
The date when this new law will take effect has not yet been determined.
I will be able to use my electric kickboard on the sidewalk if the speed is less than 6 kilometers per hour.
I do not want to ride on the roadway with my electric kickboard. It is too scary to ride an electric kickboard right next to a car.
I have seen people on Linkedin before who are working for the amendment of this law and for the popularization of electric kickboards in Japan.
I respect them as a great achievement to change the idea of a slow-moving government.
Electric kickboards are sold overseas, but it is still too early to import those electric kickboards to Japan.
This is because no detailed standards have been published. They would require headlights, brake lights, blinkers, etc.
If the electric kickboard has such things, I will not be able to carry the electric kickboard. If I couldn’t carry it, I would ride a scooter, not an electric kickboard.
Electric bicycles do not have brake lights and blinkers. So I would hope that electric kickboards would not be required to have brake lights and blinkers either.
And, of course, the elimination of age restrictions.
