Japan Parking and Stopping Rules: 5 m, 10 m, 3 m, 1 m

Parking versus stopping

Parking (駐車) means a vehicle stopping continuously, or stopping while the driver has left it and cannot drive off immediately. Stopping to let people on or off, and stopping to load or unload goods within 5 minutes, are not parking but “stopping” (停車) (Road Traffic Act, Article 2).

So loading that takes more than 5 minutes becomes parking, while letting people on or off is stopping however long it takes. Statements such as “loading within 10 minutes is stopping” or “letting people off for more than 5 minutes is parking” are both False.

Where you may neither stop nor park

In these places you may neither stop nor park, except to stop for a red light or to prevent danger (Article 44). Memorize the three 10-meter places (railroad crossings, safety zones, stops); the rest are 5 meters or have no distance.

Where only parking is prohibited

These places are no-parking only, so stopping is allowed (Article 45, paragraph 1). Parking is allowed with permission from the police station chief.

3.5 meters on the right and the 0.75-meter side strip

You may not park where less than 3.5 meters of road would remain on the right side of your car (or the distance shown on a sign). Exceptions: when loading with the driver ready to drive off immediately, and when unavoidable to aid injured people.

Stop and park along the left edge of the road (the left edge of the roadway if there is a sidewalk or side strip). If the side strip (路側帯) is 0.75 meters wide or less, do not enter it; park along the left edge of the roadway. If it is marked by a single white line and is wider than 0.75 meters, you may enter it but must leave at least 0.75 meters on your left. You may not enter side strips marked by a solid and a broken white line, or by two white lines.

When crossing a sidewalk or side strip to enter or leave a garage or parking lot, stop just before it even if no pedestrians are present (Article 17).

Stopping and parking at night: lights

At night, when stopping or parking on a road 5.5 meters wide or more, turn on the hazard lights, parking lights or tail lights (Enforcement Order, Article 18). On roads other than expressways and motor-vehicle-only roads, however, they are not required where street lighting makes the car visible from 50 meters behind, or where a warning triangle is placed. “You must use hazard lights even where you are visible from 50 meters behind” is False.

Common trap patterns

False statements here are almost always swapped numbers or ranges. Be especially careful with items that resemble the no-overtaking places.

• Swapping 5 and 10: intersections 5 m, railroad crossings 10 m, bus stops 10 m
• No-parking numbers: fire facilities and road works 5 m, garage entrances 3 m, fire alarms 1 m
• Stopping vs parking: loading up to 5 minutes is stopping; letting people on/off is stopping regardless of time
• Slopes: no stopping on steep slopes both up and down; no overtaking only on steep downhill slopes
• Tunnels: stopping and parking always prohibited; overtaking allowed where there are lanes
• Side strips: 0.75 m or less, do not enter; when entering, leave at least 0.75 m on the left
• Bus stop conditions: within 10 m and only during service hours

Practice parking questions in English

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Practice questions on this topic

• 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.
• You must not stop or park on the left side of a safety zone or within 10 meters before and after it.
• Stopping for up to 10 minutes to load or unload goods counts as stopping, not parking.
• Stopping to let people get on or off becomes parking if it takes more than 5 minutes.
• When crossing a sidewalk to enter a garage or parking lot, you must stop just before the sidewalk even if there are no pedestrians.
• On a road with a narrow side strip 0.75 meters wide or less, you must move into the side strip when you stop or park.
• In principle, you must not park in a place where less than 3.5 meters of open space would remain on the right side of your car.
• Even in a place where you cannot leave 3.5 meters of space on the right side of your car, you may park when it is unavoidable in order to help a sick or injured person.
• At night, whenever you stop or park on a road, you must turn on your hazard lights, even in a place that street lighting makes visible from 50 meters behind.
• Inside a tunnel, you may stop or park only when vehicle traffic lanes are provided.
• On a steep slope, stopping and parking are prohibited whether the slope goes uphill or downhill.

FAQ

Related guides

• Japanese Road Signs: Common Mistakes in the Conversion Test
• Overtaking Rules in Japan: No-Overtaking Zones and Passing
• Right of Way in Japan: Intersections, Pedestrians, Emergencies
• Japan Speed Limits: 60 km/h, 30 km/h Residential Roads, Mopeds 30

Sources (in Japanese)

• 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「道路交通法」（第2条・第17条・第44条〜第47条）
• e-Gov法令検索「道路交通法施行令」（第14条の6 路側帯での駐停車、第18条 灯火）
• 警視庁「令和7年10月1日施行・改正道路交通法施行規則について」