Japan police agency: 25.8% of signal controllers past renewal standard, worst on record
In short
The National Police Agency said 25.8 percent of Japan's 203,251 signal controllers — 52,357 units — had passed the 19-year renewal standard in fiscal 2025, the worst share on record. Commissioner Yoshinobu Kusunoki told a meeting of prefectural police traffic division chiefs on Oct 5 that the aging of signals is “extremely serious” and that countermeasures must be planned. He also called for drivers to be informed about not driving through underpasses in heavy rain.
Why it matters
Traffic signals guide daily travel across Japan, and the documents indicate a rising share of the equipment behind them is past its renewal standard. The agency says maintenance and replacement cost money, which points to budget and scheduling questions, but the documents give no cost estimate or timetable. Kusunoki's separate request on underpasses follows flooding such as heavy rain in Chiba, linking the meeting to recent severe-weather safety concerns.
Key facts
- In fiscal 2025, 52,357 of Japan's 203,251 signal controllers — 25.8 percent — had passed the renewal standard, the worst share on record, according to Sankei Shimbun. [ 1 ]
- The equivalent share was 25.2 percent in fiscal 2024, Sankei Shimbun reported. [ 1 ]
- The standard for replacing the controllers that switch signal colors is 19 years after manufacture, Sankei Shimbun reported. [ 1 ]
- The National Police Agency held a meeting on Oct 5 with traffic division chiefs from prefectural police forces, in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Commissioner Yoshinobu Kusunoki said the aging of signals is extremely serious and that countermeasures need to be advanced in a planned way. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The agency said it will also promote more appropriate placement of signals in line with changes in the traffic environment. [ 1 ]
- Kusunoki asked that drivers be informed, including when they obtain or renew licenses, of steps such as not driving through underpasses during heavy rain. [ 1 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- The National Police Agency held a meeting on Oct 5 with traffic division chiefs from prefectural police forces. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- Commissioner Yoshinobu Kusunoki told the meeting that the aging of traffic signals is extremely serious and that countermeasures must be advanced in a planned way. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]
- The share of signal controllers past their renewal standard reached a record high in fiscal 2025. [ 1 , 3 ]
Still unclear
- The cost and schedule for replacing aging signal controllers The documents say maintenance and renewal carry costs and that the agency will proceed in a planned way, but give no figures, budget or timetable.
- The numerical breakdown of 52,357 of 203,251 controllers, and the comparison with 25.2 percent in fiscal 2024 Only Sankei Shimbun gives these numbers; the other outlets report a record share without figures.
- The full content of TBS NEWS DIG's report and Tokyo Shimbun's article The TBS NEWS DIG text is a feed summary cut off mid-sentence, and Tokyo Shimbun's article text was not available beyond the headline.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Sankei Shimbun reports the police agency's fiscal 2025 figures: 25.8 percent of signal controllers past the renewal standard, the worst on record. [ 1 ]
- Tokyo Shimbun reports the Oct 5 meeting in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, and the police agency commissioner's remarks. [ 2 ]
- TBS NEWS DIG reports the meeting and quotes the commissioner saying the situation is “extremely serious.” [ 3 ]