YOKOHAMA -- Kanagawa Prefectural Police raided the headquarters of a car sales company and 11 other locations sometime before Feb. 20 for allegedly selling mopeds, pedal-powered motorcycles that require a driver's license, as electric bicycles that do not require such a permit.

Police believe the purchasers were unknowingly driving without a license. On Feb. 18, the prefectural police's traffic investigation division searched the headquarters of Office K in Tokyo's Itabashi Ward and other sites on suspicion of violating the Unfair Competition Prevention Act, and seized five mopeds. The company is believed to have sold more than 1,000 such units since 2021, using celebrities for advertising.

In June last year, a man driving one of the company's products was involved in an accident with a pedestrian in her 80s in the city of Kawasaki. The man thought the moped did not require a driver's license, leading to suspicion that the company was illegally selling the product.

Under the revised Road Traffic Act that went into effect in July 2023, a new vehicle category of "specified small motorized bicycles" was established. These can be driven without a license by those 16 years old or older under certain conditions, such as a maximum speed of 20 kilometers per hour or less. Electric bicycles do not require a license, while motorized motorcycles, including mopeds, and standard motorcycles are classified as requiring a license.

According to police, the company is suspected of selling mopeds over the internet and in stores in nine prefectures. Their maximum speed was over 40 km/h, requiring a license and license plate.

(Japanese original by Daiki Yano, Yokohama Bureau)