Members of the public are invited to upload photographs they have taken with digital or cellphone cameras showing motorists violating traffic laws to the Web site. At its launch in July, the Transport Ministry said it would help catch violators who might otherwise escape punishment because of a lack of enforcement.

The Hall of Shame Web site has received about 400 pictures since its launch and has recorded 59,000 hits a day.

According to government statistics, nearly 160,000 accidents killed 3,006 people in the first half of 2005, an average of more than 16 deaths a day. The Web site is the latest in a series of government steps intended to reduce that toll. Police say 9.4 million summonses issued from 2001 to 2004 were ignored, and the government is owed about $737 million in unpaid fines.

The Japan Times Weekly: Aug. 27, 2005
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