As a record number of travelers swarm Japan to take advantage of the depreciating value of the Japanese yen, some are encountering difficulties with the law because of the increasing prevalence of motorized, rideable luggage. 

According to Kyodo news agency, two major Japanese airports have already requested that visitors refrain from riding motorized luggage within their premises. Meanwhile, authorities are advising local businesses to alert patrons to the stringent restrictions governing their use.

In recent years motorised luggage, similar to children’s scooters but powered by lithium-ion batteries, have become more common among travellers, while also being popularised by celebrities like Paris Hilton and Shilpa Shetty.

According to Kyodo, Japan currently classifies the electric suitcases, which are popular in the rest of Asia, as “motorised vehicles that can be ridden on roads only with the required safety equipment and a driving licence”.

In June, a Chinese woman in her 30s, studying in Japan, was referred to prosecutors for driving without a licence, after she allegedly rode a three-wheeled suitcase on a sidewalk in Osaka on 31 March, according to Osaka Prefectural Police.

Under Japan’s traffic laws, the woman’s suitcase, which can travel up to 13km an hour, is categorised as a “motorised bicycle”, the same as some mopeds. The police reiterated to the public in June that licenses are required for such mobile luggage.

In July, a boy from Indonesia rode a motorised suitcase past pedestrians along a street in Osaka’s bustling Dotonbori shopping district, according to Kyodo, which said his family was surprised to learn that a driving licence was mandatory for such vehicles in Japan.

According to Takeru Shibayama, a senior scientist at the Vienna University of Technology’s Institute for Transportation, Japan’s broad range of vehicles – which fall under the category of motorised bicycles – may force the country to discuss “whether a new classification should be established” to deal with electric suitcases.

Japan has struggled to deal with new forms of transportation lately. Traffic violations involving electric scooters surged fourfold in the six months after restrictions were eased in July 2023, according to the National Police Agency. The loosened regulations allow for people over age 16 to ride them without a driver’s licence, and they are now a common sight in big cities like Tokyo.