According to the 2020 census, Japan is one of the world’s largest bicycle users, with 10.1% of the population using bicycles to commute to work or school.
Bicycle use in Japan is diverse, with many types of bicycles used on a daily basis, such as bicycles for carrying young children, and more recently, bicycles for leisure purposes have been increasing.
On the institutional side, the central government enacted the Act on Promotion of Use of Bicycles in 2017, which supports the bicycle policies of local governments. Most recently, the wearing of bicycle helmets became mandatory in 2023.
In light of the unique culture of bicycle use in Japan and the various problems associated with it, we believe that this is a good opportunity for relevant researchers and experts to intensively discuss and find a better bicycle environment in the conference with a diversity sense of cycling safety culture.
If you would like to learn more about traffic safety situation in Japan, please check the country fact sheet in the ESRA3 project report.