FORKARIUMPETTY COURT
FORKARIUM

CASE #013: The Handlebar Phone

Can you get fined for using your phone while riding a bike in Japan?

The parties are fictional. The evidence is real.

VERIFIED FACTS

Every sentence here links to an official source you can open.

The verdict

GUILTY

Yes. From April 2026, Japan applies the blue ticket system to cyclists aged 16 and over, covering 113 kinds of violations. According to Kashiwa City, using a phone while riding carries a fine of 12,000 yen.[1]

1 official source: Kashiwa City, Chiba (柏市)Checked Oct 29, 2026

The evidence

A city bicycle with a phone mounted on the handlebars, its screen blank

Exhibit A

Kashiwa City: from April 2026, 113 kinds of violations by cyclists aged 16 and over are handled with blue tickets, and fines apply.

Exhibit B

Kashiwa City: using a phone while riding, 12,000 yen.

Exhibit C

Kashiwa City: ignoring a traffic signal, 6,000 yen. Ignoring a stop sign, 5,000 yen. Riding with earphones so you cannot hear your surroundings, 5,000 yen.

Questions people ask

Who gets blue tickets on bicycles in Japan?

Cyclists aged 16 and over, according to Kashiwa City.

Is riding with earphones fined too?

Kashiwa City lists earphone use that keeps you from hearing your surroundings at 5,000 yen.

DRAMATIZATION

This part is made up for fun. Names, people and events are fictional.

The case

A startled pedestrian with a briefcase and a cyclist staring at a phone on the handlebars
PlaintiffThe Pedestrian at the Crosswalk
DefendantThe Cyclist Following the Map

Timeline

  1. Tue 8:12 AMA cyclist heads to a new office, phone in one hand, navigation on.
  2. 8:14 AMTurn left in 50 meters, says the phone. The cyclist looks down.
  3. 8:14 AMA pedestrian at the crosswalk steps back just in time.
  4. 8:15 AMThe pedestrian files a complaint before the light turns green.

The claims

Plaintiff: The Pedestrian at the Crosswalk

You were looking at your phone, not at me.

Defendant: The Cyclist Following the Map

I was looking at a map. A map is basically safety equipment.

A pug judge in a powdered wig hears a startled pedestrian accuse a cyclist who rides while looking at a phone

The court's sentence

GUILTY. 12,000 YEN, PLEASE.

SentenceThe phone is sentenced to ride in the bag, screen down, until the bicycle is parked. The defendant may check the map only while standing still, both feet on the ground.

Sources

  1. Source 1

    Kashiwa City, Chiba (柏市)

    自転車の違反にも反則金が科されます

    www.city.kashiwa.lg.jp/bosaianzen/anshinanzen/kotsuanzen/trafficticket.html

    Published Mar 3, 2026Checked Oct 29, 2026

    令和8年4月から ... 16歳以上の自転車運転者による113種類の反則行為（違反）が青切符で検挙され ... ながらスマホ運転　12,000円 ... 信号無視　 6,000円 ... 一時停止無視　5,000円 ... イヤホン使用（周囲の音が聞こえない状態） 5,000円
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