‘Erratic’ cyclist arrested under Japan’s new road rage laws

A JAPANESE man has become the nation’s first cyclist to be arrested for road rage since its traffic laws were revised to curb dangerous driving.

Akihiko Narushima, 33, allegedly swerved his bicycle erratically across the street and obstructed vehicles. At one point he is said to have cycled directly at a woman driving a car.

His actions, at Okegawa in Saitama Prefecture, were filmed by the dashboard camera of a nearby vehicle. Mr Narushima, a part-time labourer, was already in custody when the arrest warrant was i ssued, after all egedly grabbing an elderly man who tried t o reprimand him f or dangerous cycling.

His arrest over obstructive driving on his bicycle is reportedly the first of its kind after the Japanese government revised its Road Traffic Act in June, according to The Mainichi newspaper.

The revision involved widening the scope of offences that fell into the classification of dangerous driving so that cycling dangerously could constitute a criminal offence.

The decision to revise traffic laws came after a string of high-profile traffic fatalities. Penalties for obstructive driving include a jail term of up to three years or a fine of around £3,700.

Police are planning to investigate Mr Narushima’s involvement in several dozen similar incidents in the area, where he is said to be notorious among locals for his road rage antics, earning him the nickname “Okegawa pop-out boy”. Cycling traffic violations across the spectrum have soared in Japan this year, as more people swap public transport for bicycles due to the pandemic. A total of 12,839 violations were reported in the first six months, according to National Police Agency figures.