Gaimen50-question practice tests in the real exam formatNo Parking (駐車禁止) vs No Stopping or Parking (駐停車禁止) Signs
Updated: 2026-10
Where parking is prohibited (駐車禁止), you cannot park, but you may still stop (停車) to let people on or off or to load goods for up to 5 minutes. Where stopping and parking are prohibited (駐停車禁止), you can do neither. On the blue sign, one red diagonal slash means No Parking; two slashes forming an X mean No Stopping or Parking.
Comparison: what is banned and how to tell
Both are regulatory signs (規制標識), and the same rules can also be shown by markings on the road or curb. Even with no sign, the law bans these in certain places (No Stopping or Parking: Road Traffic Act (道路交通法) Article 44; No Parking: Article 45).
| Point | No Parking (駐車禁止) | No Stopping or Parking (駐停車禁止) |
|---|---|---|
| Parking (駐車) | Not allowed | Not allowed |
| Stopping (passengers, goods up to 5 min) | Allowed | Not allowed |
| Sign | Blue with red ring, one red slash | Blue with red ring, two red slashes (X) |
| Yellow line on curb or road edge | Broken (dashed) line | Solid line |
| Legal basis | Article 45 | Article 44 |
| Examples where banned even without a sign | Garage entrances 3 m, fire hydrants 5 m, fire alarms 1 m | Intersections 5 m, crosswalks 5 m, railroad crossings 10 m, tunnels |
| When you may still halt | Stopping always; parking with a police station chief's permit | Only halts for signals, police orders or to avoid danger |
Reading the signs and markings
The colors are set by the Order on Road Signs, Lane Lines and Road Markings (道路標識、区画線及び道路標示に関する命令): on both signs the diagonal bands and ring are red, the background blue, and the text and border white. The only difference is the number of slashes: one means No Parking, two crossing as an X mean No Stopping or Parking.
If an auxiliary plate (補助標識) under the sign shows "8-20", the restriction applies only from 8:00 to 20:00. Outside those hours that sign does not restrict you (places banned by law itself, such as near intersections, stay banned at all times).
Road markings for both are yellow. On a curb (縁石) or road edge, a broken yellow line means No Parking and a solid yellow line means No Stopping or Parking. A memory trick: the broken line leaves gaps, so stopping is still allowed.
Places banned by law: remember them by purpose
It helps to sort them by purpose. No Stopping or Parking covers places where any vehicle standing there endangers traffic. No Parking covers places that must stay clear for access or firefighting. The full distance list is on the parking and stopping summary page.
| Place | No Parking (stopping OK) | No Stopping or Parking |
|---|---|---|
| Intersections, road bends | ― | Inside and within 5 m of the edge |
| Crosswalks, bicycle crossings | ― | Inside and 5 m before and after |
| Railroad crossings, left side of safety zones | ― | 10 m before and after |
| Bus and streetcar stops | ― | Within 10 m of the stop sign (only during service hours) |
| Near hilltops, steep slopes, tunnels, on tram tracks | ― | The place itself |
| Entrances to garages and car parks | Within 3 m | ― |
| Road construction zones | Within 5 m of the edge | ― |
| Firefighting equipment sheds, water tanks, hydrants | Within 5 m | ― |
| Fire alarm boxes | Within 1 m | ― |
Exceptions: when you may halt or park
In a No Stopping or Parking area, halting for a red light, as required by law, on a police officer's order, or temporarily to prevent danger is not a violation (Article 44). These are halts you are forced to make; letting someone out of the car is not one of them.
In a No Parking area you may park with permission from the chief of the local police station (警察署長), under rules set by the Public Safety Commission (Article 45 proviso). According to the Rules of the Road (教則), you may also park or stop where a "Parking permitted" (駐車可) or "Stopping permitted" (停車可) instruction sign specifically allows it.
The ban near bus stops applies only while that bus route is in service. Late at night when buses are not running, the bus stop is not a reason for the ban.
Don't miss side strips where stopping is banned
Side strips (路側帯) can also ban stopping and parking. A solid plus a broken white line marks a "no stopping or parking side strip" (駐停車禁止路側帯), and two solid white lines mark a "pedestrian side strip" (歩行者用路側帯). You may not enter either to stop or park; stop along the left edge of the roadway outside the strip.
A side strip with a single solid white line may be entered for stopping or parking if it is wider than 0.75 m, leaving at least 0.75 m on the car's left. Color also helps: white lines mark side strips, while yellow lines are No Parking or No Stopping markings.
Test questions that catch people, with answers
The knowledge test (知識確認) often shows a sign and swaps No Parking with No Stopping or Parking.
Example 1 (No Parking sign, one slash): "Where this sign is posted, not only parking but also stopping is prohibited." Answer: False. This sign bans parking only.
Example 2 (No Stopping or Parking sign, two slashes): "Even where this sign is posted, you may stop to let people get on or off." Answer: False. Letting people on or off is stopping, and stopping is banned here too.
Example 3: "If a No Parking sign has an auxiliary plate reading '8-20,' parking is prohibited only between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m." Answer: True. The auxiliary plate limits the hours of the restriction.
Practice sign and parking questions in your language
The number of slashes and whether stopping is allowed should be instant answers when you see the picture. menkyopass's license conversion drill has sign, parking and stopping questions with explanations in English (the first mock test and three topics are free; all questions are a one-time ¥1,500).
Practice questions using this term
FAQ
Q. Is it a violation to unload goods for 3 minutes in a No Parking zone?
A. No. Loading or unloading for up to 5 minutes is stopping, which is allowed in a No Parking zone. It is not allowed in a No Stopping or Parking zone.
Q. Is waiting at a red light in a No Stopping or Parking zone a violation?
A. No. Halting for a signal or to avoid danger is outside the stopping and parking ban.
Q. What does a broken yellow line on the curb mean?
A. A broken yellow line means No Parking; a solid one means No Stopping or Parking. With a broken line you may still stop.
Q. The sign says "8-20". Can I park there at 9 p.m.?
A. That sign only applies from 8:00 to 20:00, so at 21:00 it does not restrict you. Places banned by law, such as near intersections, are banned at any hour.