Will the relaxed rules regarding e-scooters in Japan also apply to mobility scooters? | 日本でのeスクーターに関する規制緩和は、モビリティスクーターにも適用されるのでしょうか？

By Barrier Free Japan

January 22 2023

On January 19th it was reported that from July 2023, people will be about to use e-scooters without a driver’s license. Kyodo News reported that:

“Japan’s electric scooter users will no longer require a driver’s license from July, though people under 16 will be banned from riding the vehicles, the National Police Agency said Thursday. The new rules apply to scooters with a maximum speed of 20 kilometers per hour, and riders must comply with the same traffic rules as cyclists, including, in principle, not riding on sidewalks. Scooter riders are advised to wear helmets, although it is not compulsory.”

The question is this: Will the same relaxing of the rules apply to ‘mobility scooters’ and electric wheelchairs?

When preparing for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic and Paralympic Games, Japan Railways (JR), based on guidance from Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, and Transport required that when at JR stations, mobility scooters:

“move at a speed no more than 2km/h and follow the instructions and warnings of the train attendant, and do not use routes other than the ones specified.”