(The Yomiuri Shimbun/ANN) A trial in which the speed limit has been raised from 110 kph to 120 kph on the Shin-Tomei Expressway began Friday.
The trial, taking place on a roughly 50-kilometer section of the expressway in Shizuoka Prefecture between the Shin-Shizuoka and Mori-Kakegawa interchanges, marks the fastest speed limit to be introduced in Japan.
The Shizuoka Prefectural Police determined that the speed limit could be safely raised as there have been no serious accidents since it was increased to 110 kph in November 2017.
A highway sign displaying “120” was turned on at the beginning of area where the trial is taking place. The 80 kph speed limit for large trucks will remain unchanged.
“I don’t feel unsafe because the expressway is wide. But I will be careful to keep a safe distance from other cars,” said a driver at the Fujieda parking area in Shizuoka Prefecture.
A trial to increase the speed limit to 120 kph also began Friday on a roughly 27-kilometer stretch of the Tohoku Expressway in Iwate Prefecture between the Hanamaki-Minami and Morioka-Minami interchanges.
