[mikekchar]

In Japan, unfortunately the opportunities for commuting are limited. Apologies if things have changed since I last looked at it (but I don't think it has): the limiter must be graduated. Under 12km/h it is full assistance and it gradually drops off until at 20km/h it is no assistance. Where I live (in the countryside) they are extremely popular with the elderly, but they are practically useless for anything else. Speeds between 12km and 15km are already pretty effortless for most people on flat surfaces (where most people will be riding) and the extra weight penalty means that you just have a very expensive, very slow bike.

Part of the problem is that cycling has been a utilitarian thing in Japan until very recently. When I moved here 10 years ago I never once saw a road bike. Bicycles were treated as the thing children rode to school or old women rode to the store to pick up 1 or 2 items.

Scooters have a speed limit of 30km/h (though only a few people obey the rule) and you must have a helmet. Bicycles have no such rules because the law makers can't really fathom that a bicycle can get anywhere near that speed. When I was riding regularly, it was not at all uncommon for me to pass scooters on the highway.

Things are changing very quickly (cycling is hugely popular now), so I'm curious to see how the laws change as a result.