Japan to Require Phone-Use and Drowsy-Driving Detection Systems in New Cars from 2031, Transport Ministry Says

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Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) has settled on a policy to make “driver monitoring systems” — which detect and warn against smartphone use and drowsy driving — mandatory on new vehicles starting in 2031. Existing models will also be required to comply by 2033.

On the thread, users debated the price hikes this mandatory equipment will bring, how the rollout compares to Europe and the US, the likely appearance of workaround devices like limiter-bypass tools, and the impact on repair shops.

Mon, Aug 24, 2:27 PM — Jiji Press

The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism has settled on a policy requiring both domestic and imported vehicles to carry a “driver monitoring system” (DMS) that detects and warns against inattentive driving from smartphone use and drowsy driving.

This was learned from the ministry on the 24th. A ministerial ordinance will be revised in September, applying the requirement to new models starting in 2031, and by 2033 it will also be mandatory for existing models still in production.

Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Original article here

2Anonymous2026/08/24(月) 17:22:17.82ID:iQnJYN070
Cars are gonna get even more expensive.
17Anonymous2026/08/24(月) 17:25:09.57ID:cPL6jXOf0
>>2
And if it's broken at inspection time, that could run you ¥500,000 to fix.
46Anonymous2026/08/24(月) 17:33:15.17ID:/NNG1CD90
>>2
Thanks to idiots, the price hikes just won't stop.
51Anonymous2026/08/24(月) 17:34:18.81ID:gZDqpgcy0
Oh really?
What about cars that use "cost cutting" as an excuse to cram in touch panels everywhere, forcing you to fumble with a screen for literally everything?
Those cars are a hazard on wheels.
4Anonymous2026/08/24(月) 17:22:49.21ID:A4uIk4Y80
If all it does is go beep-beep-beep, what's even the point?
11Anonymous2026/08/24(月) 17:24:16.29ID:ktnDuCGf0
>>4
Add a shiny new feature and it's the perfect excuse to sell a kei car for ¥3 million.
105Anonymous2026/08/24(月) 17:48:28.28ID:uiwE9JXM0
>>4
Honestly wish it'd just zap you with an electric shock.
128Anonymous2026/08/24(月) 17:55:11.00ID:rzCMbUQQ0
>>4
Shouldn't ignoring it repeatedly get you reported straight to the police?
8Anonymous2026/08/24(月) 17:23:41.63ID:e+b0DgXa0
A future where this gets slammed as a non-tariff trade barrier.
21Anonymous2026/08/24(月) 17:26:55.17ID:TWIN4Rhr0
>>8
Europe's already made it mandatory, and the US is moving toward requiring it too, so Japan's just falling in line.
60Anonymous2026/08/24(月) 17:38:15.85ID:FPotysVz0
>>8
METI (Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry) will obviously be careful to dodge that framing.
And what does "adopted by the forum" mentioned in the article actually have to do with making it mandatory anyway?
19Anonymous2026/08/24(月) 17:26:52.01ID:jOjZs4Vw0
(;゚Д゚) Starting in 2031? Talk about zero urgency.
Start today.
28Anonymous2026/08/24(月) 17:29:10.95ID:rH8gnGes0
>>19
Hey Koro-neko (a well-known 5ch cat-persona poster), do you even drive normally?
111Anonymous2026/08/24(月) 17:50:03.72ID:sxMZHCzv0
>>19
That's some foul language for a cat lol
30Anonymous2026/08/24(月) 17:29:43.26ID:w3JLI9Oy0
Make sure it can contact the police too.
And if you honk the horn, it should auto-report to the police.
42Anonymous2026/08/24(月) 17:32:44.30ID:Px4CKSZf0
>>30
So if some idiot backs out of a convenience store without checking either way and you honk a warning, cops show up every single time?
Think about the hassle for both sides, genius.
179Anonymous2026/08/24(月) 18:06:32.95ID:Nd8BICpD0
>>42
But honking after the other guy's already noticed you is just spite, right?
If it looks like they're about to pull out, just slow down or stop. What a pain.
56Anonymous2026/08/24(月) 17:35:51.02ID:IEkoksv20
Makes you wonder what people are even watching while driving.

The lady who caused that rear-end crash that burst into flames was watching cooking videos, apparently.
70Anonymous2026/08/24(月) 17:39:54.03ID:PUUxgHtC0
>>56
Probably some boring YouTube video.
There are still idiots out there who mount their phone right on the steering wheel to watch stuff.
80Anonymous2026/08/24(月) 17:42:26.84ID:cEAH7doV0
>>56
You're doing the same thing right now browsing 5ch.
These days humanity's phone IS the main unit — everything else is just an accessory.
59Anonymous2026/08/24(月) 17:38:13.22ID:rg4qRo6/0
They should add a license-scanning reader too.
248Anonymous2026/08/24(月) 18:23:14.85ID:NnrKb0Vu0
>>59
Scanner hardware breaks down easily.
Fine if you're okay with suddenly being told "you can't drive" because of that.
93Anonymous2026/08/24(月) 17:45:15.62ID:zaqYL9pN0
I wonder if there's any incentive for this — like cheaper insurance or a subsidy. If there's nothing, used cars are gonna sell like crazy.
101Anonymous2026/08/24(月) 17:47:57.24ID:0DxfVoO20
>>93
That's exactly what happened in the US.
If your gaze isn't steady, the engine cuts out on its own or an alarm blares — it's got a terrible reputation.
117Anonymous2026/08/24(月) 17:51:56.08ID:OavOzNiQ0
>>93
Probably will happen.

Though it's more likely your insurance goes UP if you don't have it.
153Anonymous2026/08/24(月) 17:59:57.88ID:LY5dyyUO0
Cars are already expensive enough and that's part of why the birthrate's falling — stop tacking on extra features.
We'll lose in global competition too.
156Anonymous2026/08/24(月) 18:00:57.55ID:wUjI0LQH0
>>153
It's being mandated in the EU and the US too, so how would that make us lose lol
162Anonymous2026/08/24(月) 18:01:55.02ID:1yTcYIMT0
>>156
The world's biggest auto market is China.
188Anonymous2026/08/24(月) 18:08:27.76ID:xvkhldW20
>>156
Ordinary people in Europe are also starting to be unable to bear rising car prices.
Only people who can use company car programs can afford new Western European brand cars.
For everyone else, new Western European cars are out of reach.
What people scrape together to buy instead is an Eastern European car or a Chinese one.
197Anonymous2026/08/24(月) 18:10:46.39ID:RVslmaT/0
>>188
It'll be mandatory for Chinese self-driving cars too — it's an international standard adopted by the World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations (WP29), so it's being rolled out across EU countries, Eastern Europe included.
206Anonymous2026/08/24(月) 18:13:56.31ID:1yTcYIMT0
>>197
China would probably pull it off cheaply with their own tech. A Chinese car might be an option for my next car.
208Anonymous2026/08/24(月) 18:14:06.72ID:xvkhldW20
>>197
Well, it's clear your Japanese isn't very good.
203Anonymous2026/08/24(月) 18:12:32.38ID:E3v0ZXrm0
Like these will actually sell.

Give it a few days and a limiter-bypass device will show up.
204Anonymous2026/08/24(月) 18:13:06.68ID:SryKA+/T0
>>203
Stuff like that deserves harsh punishment.
Honestly, attempted murder charges would be fine too.
214Anonymous2026/08/24(月) 18:15:37.23ID:1yTcYIMT0
>>203
Yeah, it'll show up. Similar devices, like idling-stop cancelers, are already common.
222Anonymous2026/08/24(月) 18:17:14.97ID:NbY0Ckbv0
So what happens when it detects you're dozing off?
Does it just slam to a stop?
229Anonymous2026/08/24(月) 18:18:10.55ID:RVslmaT/0
>>203
Subaru, for instance, has had this for 5 years already, and no canceler device has shown up for it, right?
It's also on the 90-series Noah/Voxy, and I don't think there's a canceler for that either.

>>222
Some systems sound the horn, flip on the hazards, and pull over to stop.
Probably depends on the car.
221Anonymous2026/08/24(月) 18:17:07.07ID:f5ZpEKxp0
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/HQefaK8a0AAcqKM.jpg
243Anonymous2026/08/24(月) 18:22:32.30ID:egFuo0Gx0
Because it has to be removed and resynced every single time for maintenance, the job takes way longer than the automaker's estimated labor time. In the US, where this rolled out first, mechanics are quitting in droves and month-long repair waits have become the norm.
252Anonymous2026/08/24(月) 18:24:42.11ID:1yTcYIMT0
>>243
Same thing happened with home appliances — used to be repaired, then it became whole-assembly swaps, and eventually it turned into just tossing it and buying new.
258Anonymous2026/08/24(月) 18:25:50.58ID:FPotysVz0
>>243
You mean like headlight-aiming calibration?
This is an in-cabin monitor though — is that kind of recalibration actually necessary for it?

*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Breaking News Plus) thread “Inattentive/drowsy driving detection to become mandatory — MLIT policy to apply to new vehicles from 2031.”

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