Tokyo go-kart rental manager sent to prosecutors over traffic law violation

Tokyo police have referred a 40-year-old male manager of a go-kart rental company in the capital to prosecutors for allegedly violating traffic laws by renting out karts to two foreign tourists without valid licenses.

According to Metropolitan Police Department sources, the police requested “severe penalties,” meaning they strongly recommend that prosecutors indict the individual. The manager has admitted to the charges, claiming he was too busy at the reception to notice, sources said. The case was sent to prosecutors on Sept. 3.

At around 6 p.m. on April 7, one of the two foreign tourists collided with a parked car as they drove their kart near a traffic intersection in the Azabu-Juban district of Tokyo’s Minato Ward. When police arrived, they discovered that the tourists possessed international driving permits that were invalid in Japan. The police arrested both tourists on the spot for driving without a license.

The karts are categorized as “ordinary automobiles” under the Road Traffic Act, which means a driver’s license is necessary. According to the metropolitan police, for an international driving permit to be valid in Japan, it must have been issued by a signatory country of the Geneva Convention.

Further investigation revealed that the rental company had failed to adequately instruct employees to verify the validity of international licenses.

Go-karting on public roads is particularly popular among foreign tourists. However, police in Tokyo received over 100 related complaints and inquiries in 2023, for example over tourists running red lights and getting out of their karts to take photos while waiting at traffic signals.