Length of unimproved roads in Tokyo, Japan 2021, by road width

As of April 1, 2021, there were approximately 5.46 thousand kilometers of unimproved roads in Tokyo, Japan, which had a width of fewer than 3.5 meters. The total length of unimproved roads in Tokyo had steadily decreased throughout the preceding decade.

Does road improvement still matter?

Tokyo is growing. And as more and more people live in this mega-metropolis, the demand for an impeccable infrastructure grows as well. Famous for its sophistication, infamous for its passenger load, the rail network in Japan’s capital has taken precedence over the city’s road infrastructure. Although the number of registered motor vehicles in Tokyo has been slowly decreasing in the last couple of years, traffic has remained heavy. Hence, the continual improvement of the road network has not lost significance.

Beyond merely fighting traffic jams

The implications of improving roads to comply with a certain quality of standards reach even further than reducing traffic. Road improvement impacts the wealth, welfare, and safety of citizens. Traffic safety is not the only goal; resilience in case of natural disasters, enabling a swift recovery, is also important. The territory of Japan stretches over volcanic islands and is frequently hit by intense earthquakes every year. The Great Kanto earthquake of 1923 proved that a disaster could strike Tokyo like Fukushima, Kobe, or any other place on the islands. Consequently, the stakes can be seen as high to improve the road network in Tokyo.