TOKYO, Jan. 8 (Xinhua) -- The number of deaths in traffic accidents across Japan in 2024 fell by 15 from the previous year to 2,663, marking the third-lowest level on record, according to the National Police Agency (NPA).
Tokyo led the country's 47 prefectures with 146 traffic-related fatalities, followed by Aichi with 141, and Chiba with 131, while Shimane reported the least with nine, the NPA said Tuesday.
Individuals aged 65 or older accounted for 56.8 percent of the deaths, up 47 to 1,513, it added.
The number of traffic accidents, meanwhile, decreased by 17,138 to 290,792.
Traffic deaths peaked at 16,765 in 1970. The figure has been on the decline in recent years, except in 2023, when it logged the first rise in eight years after the ease of pandemic restrictions.
The government, which started compiling such traffic statistics in 1948, has set a goal of lowering annual traffic-related deaths to less than 2,000 by 2025. ■
