Traffic tickets and license points in Japan: fines, points and paying

A traffic ticket in Japan is usually a blue ticket (青キップ): you pay a fixed fine (反則金) at a bank or post office within 7 days, and no criminal case follows. Serious offenses get a red ticket (赤キップ) and go to prosecutors. As of October 2026, Tokyo police list ¥18,000 and 3 points for holding a phone while driving a car. With no past suspensions, 6 points in 3 years suspends your license. Points (違反点数) apply to foreign residents and international driving permit holders alike.

Blue ticket or red ticket: what’s the difference?

The blue ticket is the traffic infraction notice system (交通反則通告制度). Police hand you a notice (交通反則告知書) and a payment slip (納付書). If you pay on time, the Road Traffic Act (道路交通法) says you won’t be prosecuted, but you still get the points.

You get a red ticket (交通切符) instead if:

• you were speeding by 30 km/h or more over the limit on ordinary roads, or 40 km/h or more on expressways
• you were driving drunk or over the alcohol limit
• the violation caused a traffic accident
• you had no valid license, or your license was suspended
• police can’t confirm your name or address, or think you may flee

With a red ticket, you report on the date given; in Tokyo, to the Traffic Enforcement Division (交通執行課) in Sumida or Tachikawa. Bring the ticket, a seal (印鑑) and photo ID such as your license or My Number card; if you lack these, call ahead. Police and then a prosecutor interview you, and it usually ends in a summary order (略式命令): a court fine of up to ¥1,000,000, decided on paper. Tokyo police say this takes about 2 hours. A red ticket is a criminal case, so you may want to ask a lawyer (弁護士).

How much are traffic fines in Japan?

Tokyo police’s fine table (updated April 1, 2026) lists these for ordinary cars (普通車), including kei cars, and motorcycles over 50cc:

Failing to give way to pedestrians at a crossing (横断歩行者等妨害等) costs ¥9,000 in a car. Large vehicles pay more: ¥12,000 for a red light, ¥25,000 for a phone.

Above the blue-ticket bands there’s no fixed fine. Speeding by 30 km/h or more (40 on expressways) can bring up to 6 months in prison or a ¥100,000 fine, and 6 points; at 50 km/h or more over, 12 points. Phone use that actually causes danger is also a red ticket: up to 1 year or ¥300,000, and 6 points.

Drink driving carries the heaviest points: 13 over the limit with under 0.25 mg of alcohol per liter of breath, 25 at 0.25 mg or more, and 35 for driving drunk, which can also mean up to 5 years in prison or a ¥1,000,000 fine.

Cyclists have their own blue tickets: see our bicycle rules guide.

What about parking tickets?

Parking has two tracks, which matters if you borrow or lease a car.

If police catch you with the car, it is a parking violation (駐停車違反). For a car: ¥10,000 and 1 point in a no-parking zone (駐車禁止), ¥12,000 and 2 points where stopping is also banned (駐停車禁止).

If you left the car, it is unattended parking (放置駐車違反), and police or a parking officer attach a tag (確認標章). How long you were gone, or whether the engine or hazard lights were on, makes no difference. Then:

• The driver can go to the police and pay the fine: ¥15,000 and 2 points in a no-parking zone, or ¥18,000 and 3 points in a no-stopping zone, for a car.
• If the driver doesn’t, within 30 days of the tag, the registered user of the car (使用者) is ordered to pay a penalty (放置違反金) instead. The law caps it at ¥25,000 for an ordinary car. It carries no license points.

If both get paid, the penalty is refunded. An unpaid penalty adds late charges, and after a reminder the car can’t get its inspection certificate back at the next shaken (車検) without proof of payment. Three penalty orders within 6 months (fewer if the car was restricted before) can lead to a ban on using the car, up to 2 months for an ordinary car.

You can pay the penalty at a bank or post office, by Pay-easy, at convenience stores nationwide, or with apps such as PayPay, d払い and 楽天ペイ. Apps and Pay-easy give no receipt, so if your shaken is near, pay at a counter or convenience store and keep the receipt.

How do I pay a blue ticket?

Tokyo police say: no installments, checks or stamps, and you can’t mail cash. A damaged slip can be reissued at a police station or notice center (通告センター).

Missed the 7 days? In Tokyo, go to the Ikebukuro or Tachikawa notice center on the date on your ticket, with the blue ticket, the expired slip or your license, for a new slip. If you don’t go, police mail a slip about 40 days after the ticket, with postage added; the law gives you 10 days to pay it. If you still don’t pay, the case goes to criminal procedure.

How does the point system work?

Japan’s points add up; nothing is deducted. Each violation has basic points (基礎点数), and accidents add 2 to 20 more (付加点数) depending on injury and fault. Police total your points over the past 3 years.

What happens depends on your points and your prior record (前歴): suspensions or revocations in the past 3 years. From Tokyo police’s tables:

The years are the disqualification period (欠格期間) before you can get a new license, up to 5 years at 45 points with no prior record, and 3 to 10 years for the worst offenses (特定違反行為) such as drunk driving and hit-and-run.

So one ticket for 30 km/h over (6 points) suspends a clean driver for 30 days, and so do two red lights and a phone ticket (2 + 2 + 3 = 7) within 3 years.

Can I avoid or shorten a suspension?

• Violator course (違反者講習): if you reach exactly 6 points only through minor violations of 3 points or less, and you’ve had no suspension or violator course in 3 years, you’re offered a 6-hour course (¥10,350 or ¥13,900 in Tokyo). Take it within 1 month of the notice and there’s no 30-day suspension, no prior record, and the 6 points don’t carry forward.
• Suspension course (停止処分者講習): once suspended, a course can shorten it. Tokyo’s short course for a 30-day suspension costs ¥11,700 and cuts 20 to 29 days, depending on your test score.

Tokyo police ask people who don’t understand Japanese to bring an interpreter to suspension courses (not allowed during the test). If you were abroad during a course period, bring a passport with entry and exit stamps; if you used automated gates, get your travel record from the Immigration Services Agency (出入国在留管理庁).

New drivers: in the first year after getting a license, 3 points (or 4 if a single violation is worth 3) means a beginner driver course (初心運転者講習), ¥16,050 for an ordinary license in Tokyo. Skip it and you face a re-test after that year.

When do points reset?

Points stay on your record but stop counting:

• 1 clean year: if at least 1 year with no violations, accidents or penalties passes between two violations, the earlier points aren’t added. Suspension time doesn’t count toward the year.
• 2 clean years, then a minor slip: after 2 or more clean years, a 1 to 3 point violation isn’t added if you then stay clean for 3 months.

A gold license needs 5 years with no accidents or violations, so even a 1-point ticket can cost you gold at your next renewal; see our license renewal guide.

What if I’m driving on an international driving permit?

You pay the same fines, but there’s no Japanese license to suspend. Instead, the public safety commission (公安委員会) can ban you from driving on your IDP: up to 5 years, or 3 to 10 years for drunk driving, dangerous driving or hit-and-run. If you plan to stay, convert your foreign license before the IDP year runs out.

If you’ve been in an accident, see what to do after a car accident.