Tokyo Drift No More: Japan Clamps Down on Public Drifting

Key Points

• Japan may classify public-road drifting as dangerous driving with harsher penalties.
• Proposed law change follows incidents where drifting caused serious injuries and received light sentencing.
• Online commenters urge exceptions for accidental tire slip and legal drifting on closed roads.

Days of Carefree Drifting May Be Numbered
The Japanese car scene has long been associated with flashy mods and drifting, famously showcased in Hollywood films like The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift. But according to a report from Japan’s automotive publication Kuruma News, the government is preparing to crack down on public-road drifting with significantly harsher punishments.

Japan’s Ministry of Justice is considering reclassifying drifting as a form of dangerous driving. Because there isn’t a clear legal category for it, drifting-related crashes have often been handled under negligence charges rather than criminal charges, which carry lighter penalties. Changing this would require lawmakers to define drifting within the legal framework clearly.

How Drifting Works
Drifting involves intentionally oversteering until the rear wheels lose traction, causing the car to slide sideways. While it may look uncontrolled, skilled drivers can maintain precise command of the vehicle – heck, some can even do it inside a factory – and the technique is even the basis of competitive series like Formula Drift.

Rear-wheel-drive (RWD) cars are ideal for drifting because they can lose rear traction more easily than front-wheel-drive (FWD) cars. Lighter, more agile Japanese RWD cars such as the Nissan 350Z and Mazda RX-7 are often favored over heavier, V8-powered American models, though angle kits, suspension tuning, and other drift-specific mods can still level up any platform.

Real-World Consequences
The risks, however, are substantial. In 2013, an 18-year-old driver drifted through an intersection in Yawata City, Kyoto Prefecture, Japan, lost control, and slammed into a guardrail, seriously injuring five schoolchildren. Because drifting fell under negligent driving at the time, the driver received an indeterminate sentence of 18 to 30 months.

Under the proposed changes, drifting could be classified as dangerous driving – an offense that can carry up to 20 years of imprisonment if someone is killed, or up to 15 years if injuries occur. People online have reportedly stressed that the law should clearly exclude accidental tire slip in snowy conditions or drifting on closed roads.

In the US, police have also been stepping up enforcement against reckless stunt driving and street takeovers. Earlier this year, San Diego police even crushed two vehicles – a Toyota Chaser and a Yamaha R1 – used in illegal street takeovers to send a strong message to offenders.