Parking (駐車) vs Stopping (停車) in Japan: The 5-Minute Rule

The legal definitions

Road Traffic Act (道路交通法) Article 2(1)(xviii) defines parking as a vehicle stopping continuously to wait for customers or cargo, to load or unload goods, because of a breakdown or for any other reason, or stopping while the driver has left the vehicle and cannot drive it immediately. Only two things are excluded from "stopping continuously": loading or unloading goods for no more than 5 minutes, and letting people get on or off.

Item (xix) defines stopping as any stop that is not parking. So you first ask whether it is parking; if not, it is stopping. The National Police Agency's Rules of the Road (交通の方法に関する教則) describe stopping as "a short stop of a vehicle that does not count as parking".

In the official English translation of the Act these are "parking" and "stopping". In everyday English the words overlap, so on the test always map 駐車 to parking and 停車 to stopping.

How to decide: the driver, then the reason, then time

If you are unsure, check in this order. Judging by time alone is the usual mistake.

• 1. Has the driver left the vehicle so they cannot drive at once? If yes, it is parking, whatever the reason or time.
• 2. Is the stop for people getting on or off? If yes, it is stopping, however many minutes it takes.
• 3. Is the stop for loading or unloading goods? Up to 5 minutes is stopping; over 5 minutes is parking.
• 4. Is the vehicle staying put for another reason, such as waiting for customers, waiting for cargo or a breakdown? That is parking.

Stopping (停車) is not the same as a full stop (一時停止)

Japanese test questions keep similar words apart. 停止 (teishi) means a vehicle coming to a halt in general. 一時停止 (ichiji teishi) is a required full stop, for example at a 止まれ (STOP) sign or before a railroad crossing. Halting for a red light or to avoid danger is neither parking nor stopping.

That is why Article 44 lets you halt even where stopping and parking are prohibited if you "stop temporarily as required by law or a police officer's order, or to prevent danger". Waiting at a red light inside an intersection is not a parking or stopping violation.

In English all of these can become "stop", so check which Japanese term the original question uses.

Test questions that catch people, with answers

These are real patterns from the knowledge test. Both are false because a number or condition was changed.

Example 1: "Stopping for up to 10 minutes to load or unload goods counts as stopping, not parking." Answer: False. Loading is stopping only up to 5 minutes; beyond that it is parking.

Example 2: "Stopping to let people get on or off becomes parking if it takes more than 5 minutes." Answer: False. Passengers getting on or off is stopping however long it takes; the 5-minute line applies only to goods.

Also watch for variations such as "a taxi waiting for customers for under 5 minutes is stopping" (false: waiting for customers is always parking) and "leaving the engine running means it is still stopping even if the driver walks away" (false: if the driver has left and cannot drive at once, it is parking).

Where and how you stop or park

Under Article 47, when you stop for passengers or goods you keep to the left edge of the road "as far as possible"; when you park you must keep to the left edge. In both cases you must not obstruct other traffic.

When parking, you generally may not park where less than 3.5 m of road would remain on your right (Article 45(2)). Exceptions: loading or unloading while the driver can drive off at once, and unavoidable stops to help injured people.

According to the Rules of the Road, you may not park in the same spot on a road for 12 hours or more in a row (8 hours at night), except in certain designated villages; a road cannot be used as your garage. An illegally parked car may be tagged with an abandoned-vehicle notice (放置車両確認標章), and the vehicle's user may be ordered to pay an abandoned-vehicle penalty (放置違反金).

Practice parking and stopping questions in your language

Telling parking from stopping is the basis for every question about No Parking and No Stopping zones. menkyopass's license conversion drill has 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

• Where this sign is posted, not only parking but also stopping is prohibited.
• Even where this sign is posted, you may stop to let people get on or off.
• 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 stop or park within 5 meters of a bus stop sign (post) during the bus service hours.
• 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.

FAQ

Related guides

• No Parking (駐車禁止) vs No Stopping or Parking (駐停車禁止) Signs
• Japan Parking and Stopping Rules: 5 m, 10 m, 3 m, 1 m
• 徐行 vs 一時停止: Slow Down vs Full Stop in Japan's Test
• Side Strip (路側帯) vs Sidewalk (歩道) in Japan: Key Differences
• Japanese Road Signs: Common Mistakes in the Conversion Test

Sources (in Japanese)

• e-Gov法令検索「道路交通法」（第2条第1項第18号・第19号、第44条、第45条、第47条）
• 警察庁「交通の方法に関する教則」（第3章第8節 駐車と停車）