A traffic accident victim has a legal right to claim compensation to an at-fault party. The extinctive prescription for claiming compensation is three years. Requesting payout of insurance also has three years of extinctive prescription. Both are supported by the Japanese law: Civil Code and Insurance Act.
Consolation money is not paid for a property damage traffic accident. However, the damages can be compensated by the at-fault party if a victim can prove his/her loss is due to the traffic accident.
As of Dec. 1, Japan toughened penalties for driver's smartphone use. Any drivers should not watch smartphones for more than two seconds while driving vehicles.
To record the traffic accident case as human injury traffic accident, it's necessary to submit the medical certificate with the police. However, policemen don't always accept the medical certificate. In this article, we explain the reasons.
Japanese law applies to any of the traffic accidents that happened in Japan, even if you are a foreigner. That means, if someone hits you, you have a right to be compensated for all the damages by at-fault local driver.
Statement of Medical Expenses is an official document issued by hospitals. It shows a detailed treatment record of your illness or injury, medical fee points, and medical expenses. Insurance companies refer to it for paying your medical fee. GIROJ, which is responsible for researching cases of CALI, also refers to it for checking your medical status.
The police make an “On-the-spot Investigation Report” showing detailed information about the traffic accident. It is for the criminal record of the traffic accident. Since police make it as a third party, it will be one of the strong evidence on what exactly happened in the accident scene. Both a victim and an at-fault driver use the report for supporting their argument when their negotiation doesn’t go well.
The Certificate of Traffic Accident is a document proving the accident truly happened. It shows the detail of the accident, for example, the date and the place, the name of the people who were involved in and so on. The Japan Safe Driving Center issues the certificate based on some evidence and the documents submitted by the police.