About eight years ago, while traveling in a convoy of vehicles that I must admit was exceeding the 50-kph posted speed limit, I was selected by the police for prosecution. I was the only foreigner in sight and highly visible driving a sports car with the top down. Since the cop seemed fair, I did not object to the prosecution, paid my ¥60,000 fine and, two years later, endured three hours of driving re-education that was almost entirely aimed at drunk-driving convictions.
That was a very salutary experience, and thereafter I deliberately drove on all Japanese roads at the official speed limit plus 5 or 10 percent. The result was that I inadvertently inconvenienced thousands of Japanese drivers who formed long, frustrated queues behind my car -- every 20 to 30 minutes I stopped to let them by. On my last visit to the Sea of Japan coast several weeks ago, numerous drivers roared past me over double yellow lines in 50-kph zones when I was traveling at 55 kph. Obviously that could have been extremely dangerous.
I have driven for the last time in Japan. However, to the millions of Japanese drivers who exceed the speed limits willfully every day, I urge them to confront the ridiculously low speed limits that exist on so many roads, and have their government introduce amended speed limits that accord with today's traffic conditions.
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