But just as street racing’s popularity waned at the turn of the decade, the aftermarket tuning scene started to explode in Japan. It even pre-dates the glorious era of street racing in the ‘80s and the ‘90s. To be clear, the Japanese tuning scene has existed for a long time. The conflict ended up injuring several bystanders, and it is believed that the single incident spelled the end of the Midnight Club, in part because the conflict violated one of the club’s most important rules on safety. According to reports at that time, a Bosozoku gang - Japanese motorcycle gangs - interfered with a Midnight Club run in 1999. The demise of the Midnight Club closed the chapter on Japan’s golden age of street racing. Likewise, local governments adopted traffic laws that prevented street racers from going about their business the way they used to. Between a few high-profile incidents - including one that caused the end of the Midnight Club - and inherent dangers of the sport, the police began going after street racers, slapping them with heavy fines and potential jail time if they were caught. For Japanese street racing, the end began in the latter part of the ’90s when law enforcement authorities started cracking down on street racing. Street racing in Japan reached its apex in the 1980s and 1990s, but like most golden ages, there’s a start and an end to it. There’s obviously more to it than that, but it’s still one of the best places to start if we’re going to talk about the how Japan’s car culture has changed over the years. Understanding Japan’s car culture and how it has evolved through the years requires a look into all these aspects, though it’s largely through the spectacle of street racing where we can see a big part of this cultural shift. That extends to all sorts of aspects of the car world, whether it’s manufacturing, innovation, motorsports, and yes, even street racing. Japan’s status as one of the epicenters of the automobile industry is a big part of the country’s vibrant and undeniably unique car culture. Toyota, Honda, Nissan, and Mazda all call the Land of the Rising Sun home. Japan is home to some of the biggest automakers in the world. That sentiment holds in the world of cars. From its incredible food to its hilarious game shows, every corner of culture is occupied, in some capacity, by Japanese culture.
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