Tokyo: When getting a speeding ticket in Japan, offenders have a choice: pay the ticket, or work it off in jail.
These days, an increasing number of Japanese drivers are doing the time rather than paying the fine, sometimes willingly.
According to the latest Justice Ministry statistics the number of jail entries by offenders who failed to pay court-ordered fines has nearly tripled over the past decade to 7,376 cases in 2006, compared with 2,661 in 1997. Most of them were ordered to pay fines for their speeding, reckless driving and other traffic violations, illegal drug use or possessions, or assaults.
The number has climbed steadily since 2002 when government revised the traffic laws, introducing tougher penalties and fines.
