Drunk Driving

Japanese drunk driving laws are among the strictest in the world and are stricter than those of any U.S. state. Yet despite considerable drinking in Japan, drunk driving arrests and prosecutions are relatively rare. When cases reach the courtroom, Japanese judges apply an extraordinary range of tests to determine liability. Sometimes they rely on blood alcohol or breath alcohol results, and sometimes they don’t. Sometimes they rely on subjective observations of intoxication, and sometimes they don’t. Sometimes they rely on factors unrelated to drinking or driving to determine liability both for drivers and for passengers alike.