The number of fatalities in traffic accidents in Japan stood at 2,547 in 2025, 116 less than the previous year, which is the lowest figure since records began in 1948.
The National Police Agency released data on traffic accidents in Japan during 2025, with a total of 2,547 deaths. After the rebound recorded in 2023 (the first in eight years), attributed in part to the increase in vehicle circulation after the end of restrictions due to the pandemic, the numbers decreased again in 2024 and 2025, chaining two consecutive years of reduction. The total number of accidents decreased by 3,659 cases, to 287,236, while the number of injuries decreased by 6,101 people, to 338,294.
Kanagawa Prefecture recorded the highest number of fatalities
By prefectures, Kanagawa topped the list, with 139 deaths, followed by Tokyo (134), Hokkaidō (129), Saitama (125) and Chiba (122). The lowest figures were recorded in Shimane and Tottori, with 17 deaths each. The number of deaths per 100,000 inhabitants was highest in Shiga, at 3.85, compared to the national average of 2.06. They were followed by Kōchi, with 3.81, and Ōita, with 3.78. The lowest rate was recorded in Tokyo, at 0.95.
Traffic deaths increased with the expansion of automobile use between the 1950s and 1960s, and reached their peak in 1970, with 16,765 deaths. Since then it has decreased significantly, thanks to the mandatory use of seat belts for drivers and front passengers on public roads since 1992, the widespread adoption of airbags and advances in driver-assist safety technologies, such as collision mitigation braking systems.
Among people aged 65 or over, the number of deaths decreased by 90 people, to 1,423, although their proportion of the total number of fatalities remained high, at 55.9%. The number of traffic fatalities among older people per 100,000 inhabitants was 3.93, approximately double the national average (2.06).
Reference material (in Japanese)
(Header image: Iyotetsu express bus that collided with a truck and caught fire on Tokushima Expressway, July 14, 2025, Awa City, Tokushima Prefecture; Provided by Tokushima Prefectural Police – Jiji Press.)
