徐行 vs 一時停止: Slow Down vs Full Stop in Japan's Test

Comparison table: slow down vs full stop

The Road Traffic Act (道路交通法), Art. 2(1)(xx), defines 徐行 as "proceeding at a speed at which the vehicle can stop immediately." No km/h figure is set. 一時停止 means stopping completely just before the stop line (停止線) — or just before the intersection if there is no line — and moving on only after checking it is safe.

The 徐行 sign is a red-bordered inverted triangle reading 徐行 (SLOW); the stop sign is a solid red inverted triangle reading 止まれ (STOP). The shapes are the same, so read the characters.

Where you must slow down (徐行)

Art. 42 of the Road Traffic Act lists the "places where you must slow down." The National Police Agency's Rules of the Road (交通の方法に関する教則) give the same list.

Apart from places, there are situations that require 徐行: turning left or right (Art. 34); entering an uncontrolled intersection from a smaller road onto a priority road (優先道路) or a clearly wider road (Art. 36(3)); passing a safety zone (安全地帯) with pedestrians on it, or a stopped school bus (Art. 71); and passing a pedestrian when you cannot leave a safe gap (Art. 18(2)).

• Where a 徐行 (SLOW) sign is posted
• Intersections with poor visibility to the left and right (except where traffic is controlled by signals etc., or you are on a priority road)
• Near a curve or corner of the road (even if you can see well)
• Near the top of an uphill slope
• Steep downhill slopes (a steep UPHILL slope is not a slow-down place)

Where you must come to a full stop (一時停止)

A full stop is required at a 止まれ (STOP) sign (Art. 43); at a flashing red signal (Enforcement Order 道路交通法施行令, Art. 2); just before a railroad crossing (踏切, Art. 33 — if the crossing has a traffic signal and you follow it, you may go through without stopping); when pedestrians or cyclists are crossing or about to cross a pedestrian crossing (横断歩道) or bicycle crossing (Art. 38(1)); and before passing a vehicle stopped just before a crossing to get in front of it (Art. 38(2)).

You must also stop just before a sidewalk (歩道) or roadside strip (路側帯) when crossing it to enter a parking lot, even if no one is there (Art. 17(2)). When an emergency vehicle (緊急自動車) approaches at or near an intersection, you avoid the intersection, pull to the left and stop (Art. 40(1)).

For a blind person with a white cane or a child walking alone, the law says "stop or slow down" — either is acceptable (Art. 71(ii)).

Trick questions from the real test

These are actual questions from our question set (English version) with answers. Each one swaps "slow down" and "stop."

• "Slowing down (slow driving) means driving at a speed of 10 km/h or less." → False. 徐行 means a speed at which you can stop immediately; no number is set.
• "When driving through an intersection where you cannot see clearly to the left and right, you must always come to a complete stop." → False. The duty is to slow down; a stop is required only where a sign says so.
• "When a pedestrian is about to cross at a pedestrian crossing, it is enough to slow down and let the pedestrian go." → False. You must stop before the crossing.
• "A steep uphill slope is a place where you must slow down (to a speed at which the vehicle can stop immediately)." → False. Only near the top of an uphill slope and on steep downhill slopes.

A simple way to tell them apart

Someone crossing in front of you, a railway track, or a sign/flashing red telling you to stop → full stop. Poor visibility, a curve, a slope, or passing close to people → slow down. Remembering the reason makes the swaps easy to spot.

When a statement says "always" (必ず) or "in any case" (どんな場合でも), look for the exception: at a railroad crossing with a green signal you need not stop, and at a blind intersection you need not even slow down if you are on a priority road.

Practice in English

Since October 2025 the knowledge test is 50 True/False questions and you need 45 correct. menkyopass's conversion drill lets you practice slow-down and stop questions with English explanations (first mock exam and 3 topics free; full access ¥1,500 one-time).

Practice questions using this term

• At an intersection with this sign, you may drive through as long as you slow down and check that it is safe.
• Where this sign is posted and there is no stop line, you must stop just before the intersection.
• Slowing down (slow driving) means driving at a speed of 10 km/h or less.
• When passing a safety zone with pedestrians in it, you must come to a complete stop.
• At a flashing red light, vehicles may enter the intersection at a slow speed without stopping.
• When driving through an intersection where you cannot see clearly to the left and right, you must always come to a complete stop.
• When turning right on a one-way road, you must move as close as possible to the right edge of the road in advance, and drive slowly through the inside of the intersection's center.
• When a pedestrian is about to cross at a pedestrian crossing, it is enough to slow down and let the pedestrian go.
• When another vehicle is stopped just before a pedestrian crossing, you must stop before passing alongside it and moving ahead of it.
• When a bicycle is about to cross at a bicycle crossing lane, you must stop just before it and give way, the same as for pedestrians at a pedestrian crossing.

FAQ

Related guides

• Japanese Road Signs: Common Mistakes in the Conversion Test
• Right of Way in Japan: Intersections, Pedestrians, Emergencies
• Japan Traffic Light Rules: Yellow, Flashing, Arrows, Signals
• Flashing Yellow vs Flashing Red Lights in Japan (点滅) Explained
• 追越し vs 追抜き: Overtaking vs Passing in Japan's Test

Sources (in Japanese)

• e-Gov法令検索「道路交通法」（第2条第1項第20号・第17条・第18条・第31条・第33条・第34条・第36条・第38条・第40条・第42条・第43条・第71条）
• e-Gov法令検索「道路交通法施行令」（第2条 信号の意味）
• 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）
• e-Gov法令検索「道路標識、区画線及び道路標示に関する命令」（別表第一・徐行（329）／一時停止（330）の色）