Japan’s Traffic Death Toll Falls to 3rd-Lowest in 2024

Jiji Press

15:49 JST, January 8, 2025

TOKYO (Jiji Press) — The traffic death toll in Japan in 2024 fell by 15 from a year earlier to 2,663, marking the third-lowest level on record, the National Police Agency said Tuesday.

Tokyo topped the list of the country’s 47 prefectures with 146 deaths, followed by Aichi at 141, and Chiba at 131. Shimane logged the least with nine, followed by Tottori at 15, and Kochi at 21.

The number of victims aged 65 or order rose by 47 to 1,513, or 56.8% of the total.

The number of traffic accidents decreased by 17,138 to 290,792.

The traffic death toll reached a peak of 16,765 in 1970. The toll has been on the decline in recent years, except 2023 when it marked the first rise in eight years after pandemic restrictions were relaxed.

The government has a goal of lowering the annual death toll below 2,000 by 2025.