What does 駐車 (chūsha) mean? Parking in Japanese law

Legal definition: two patterns

Broken down, the legal definition has two patterns. If either applies, it is parking.

• Pattern 1: stopping continuously to wait for customers or cargo, to load or unload, because of a breakdown, or for other reasons
• Pattern 2: the vehicle is stopped and the driver has left it and cannot drive off immediately (time does not matter)
• Excluded: loading or unloading that takes 5 minutes or less, and stopping to let people on or off → these are "stopping" (停車), not parking

Parking or stopping? A quick table

Test questions often swap the time figures. The 5-minute rule applies only to loading and unloading goods.

No-parking places and the 3.5-meter rule

Where both stopping and parking are banned (for example within 5 m of an intersection), you obviously cannot park. In addition, the following places ban parking only (Article 45(1)); stopping is allowed. Parking is possible with permission from the police station chief.

You also may not park where less than 3.5 meters (or a distance shown by a sign) would remain on the right side of your car (Article 45(2)). Exceptions: loading or unloading while the driver can drive off immediately, and when unavoidable to aid injured people.

How to park

Park along the left edge of the road without obstructing other traffic (Article 47(2)). On roads with a sidewalk or side strip (路側帯), park along the left edge of the roadway. Do not enter a side strip 0.75 m wide or less; if it is marked by a single white line and is wider, you may enter it but must leave at least 0.75 m on your left.

Spelling and reading: 駐車 (ちゅうしゃ / chūsha). The No Parking sign (駐車禁止) is blue with one red diagonal bar; No Stopping or Parking (駐停車禁止) has two bars.

Practice the number swaps in your language

Since October 2025 the knowledge test has 50 True/False questions in 30 minutes; you need 45 correct. Parking questions swap figures such as 5 minutes, 3 m and 1 m. menkyopass lets you practice with English explanations (the first mock test and three topics are free).

Practice questions using this term

• Where this sign is posted, not only parking but also stopping is prohibited.
• If a No Parking sign has an auxiliary plate reading '8-20,' parking is prohibited only between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.
• When there is an obstacle such as a parked vehicle ahead in your path, you must stop or slow down in advance and give way to vehicles coming from the opposite direction.
• You must not stop or park at an intersection or within 10 meters of its edges.
• You must not stop or park at a railroad crossing or within 5 meters before and after its edges.
• You must not park within 5 meters of a fire hydrant or a designated fire water supply sign.
• You must not park within 3 meters of a fire alarm box.
• You must not park within 5 meters of a vehicle entrance to a parking lot, garage, or similar facility.
• You must not stop or park on the left side of a safety zone or within 10 meters before and after it.
• Stopping to let people get on or off becomes parking if it takes more than 5 minutes.

FAQ

Related guides

• Japan Parking and Stopping Rules: 5 m, 10 m, 3 m, 1 m
• What does 停車 (teisha) mean? Stopping vs parking in Japan
• Parking (駐車) vs Stopping (停車) in Japan: The 5-Minute Rule
• No Parking (駐車禁止) vs No Stopping or Parking (駐停車禁止) Signs

Sources (in Japanese)

• e-Gov法令検索「道路交通法」（第2条第1項第18号・第45条・第47条）
• 警察庁「交通の方法に関する教則」（令和6年11月13日現在・全文PDF）第5章第10節