Table 3-8 Situation of Crackdowns on Illegal Parking (2009)

Number of crackdowns on illegal parking	2,518,006
2,032,626
Number of illegal parking stickers on unattended parked vehicles	2,462,327
1,597,489
Number of towed vehicles (vehicles)	21,647

## 3 ) Parking Measures Combining Hard and Soft Methods

Illegal parking is particularly striking in arterial roads, and Prefectural Public Safety Commissions, road administrators, and others are cooperating to promote intensive parking measures that combine hard methods $ ^{1} $ and soft methods $ ^{2} $ against illegal parking.

## 4 ) Measures for Securing Parking Spaces

In order to stop the use of roads as vehicle parking spaces, the police issue parking space certificates, accept notifications concerning parking spaces for mini-vehicles based on the Act on Securing Vehicle Parking Spaces. Additionally, the police are cracking down on such acts called aozora chusha $ ^{3} $ and, shako tobashi $ ^{4} $ .

Note 1: Off-road parking and spaces for freight-handling and others, use of colored pavement to clearly mark areas where parking is prohibited

2: Implementation of detailed parking regulations, crackdown on illegal parking and others

3: To park on the public road as if it were a parking space.

4: To obtain parking space certificates by giving false information on the parking space and base location for using the vehicle.

### 5. Traffic Police Activities on Expressways

## (1) Current Status of Expressway Networks

The number of expressways routes (national expressways and designated motorways) is increasing every year and in 2009 there were a total of 156 routes extending 10,295 kilometers.

In the future, appropriate traffic management corresponding to various situations such as safety measures in the sections where the lanes are not divided by a median showing the direction of travel and expressway toll reform is expected.

The number of fatalities on the expressway in 2009 is 178, a decline for six consecutive years since 2004.

Table 3-9 Trends in the Number of Expressway Accidents and Resulting Fatalities (2000-2009)

Year Category	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009
Number of Accident (cases)	14,325	14,726	14,083	13,992	13,797	13,775	13,803	12,674	10,965	11,112
Fatalities(persons)	367	389	338	351	329	285	262	244	193	178
Injuries (persons)	23,181	23,888	22,875	22,661	22,119	21,931	22,007	21,005	18,123	19,271

## (2) Securing Safety and Smoothness of Traffic on Expressways

## 1 ) Traffic Accident Measures based on Traffic Accident Analysis

Upon the detailed analysis of the occurrence situation of traffic accidents, the police are implementing on-site inspection with the cooperation of road administrators on such serious accidents as fatal accidents and the spots where accidents frequently occur. They are also deliberating required measures and enhancing patrols.

2) Implementing Appropriate Traffic Regulations and Promoting Measures against Driving the Wrong Way

The police are taking into consideration factors such as road structure, weather conditions, traffic situation, and the state of traffic accident occurrences to ensure the propriety of traffic regulations and review them adequately if and when necessary.

In order to prevent the occurrence of driving in the wrong direction, the police have been promoting enlightenment campaigns to publicize the danger of driving in the wrong direction with the cooperation of concerned organizations and entities as well as carrying out participatory, experimental, and practical traffic safety education which allow drivers on the expressway to inspect the place of driving in the wrong direction and examine the causes of occurrence or preventive measures.