Those killed in road accidents during the 10-day Bon midsummer break through Thursday totaled 243, up eight, or 3.4 percent, from the same period last year, the National Police Agency said Friday.
The death toll for the period was the second lowest for the past 10 years but marked the end of a series of declines.
Agency officials said the number of traffic deaths over the holiday period had been declining for the past few years in line with a reduction in the number of people returning to their hometowns for the holidays, which center around the Bon festival to honor the souls of the dead.
The rise in traffic deaths this year could mean the number returning to their hometowns has picked up again, the officials reckoned.
Twenty-one people died on journeys to or from their hometowns, up by 10 from last year, the NPA said.
By type of road, nine people died on expressways, down five from last year, it said.
By prefecture, Hokkaido had the most fatalities with 26, followed by Hyogo with 12 and Tokyo with 10.