(めんきょ)

license

(かえす)

to return (something); to give back

(こうれいしゃ)

elderly person

(ふえる)

to increase; to grow

(とし)

year

(とる)

to take

(くるま)

car

(うんてん)

operation, driving

(やめる)

to stop; to quit

(ひと)

person / people

(しんぱい)

worry / concern

(じぶん)

oneself

(けいさつ)

police

(へんのう)

returning; surrendering (e.g. a license)

(いう)

to say

(じこ)

accident; incident

(にゅーす)

news

(おおい)

many

(しかし)

however, but

(ばす)

bus

(でんしゃ)

electric train

(すくない)

few, scarce

(まち)

town

(かいもの)

shopping

(びょういん)

hospital

(いく)

to go

(たいへん)

tough, serious

(そのため)

therefore; for that reason

(ためらう)

to hesitate

(いくつか)

several, a few

(し)

city

(わりびきけん)

discount ticket; coupon

(くばる)

to distribute, hand out

(たくしー)

taxi

(りょうきん)

fee, charge

(やすい)

cheap / inexpensive

(せんもんか)

expert, specialist

(せいかつ)

daily life; livelihood

(たいせつ)

important

(はなす)

to speak, talk

is doing, has been doing (ongoing state/action)

Expresses a continuing action or resulting state. Formed with て-form + いる. Can describe an action in progress or a state resulting from a past change.

after doing ...

Expresses a sequence where one action is completed before the next begins. Formed with て-form + から. Emphasizes completion of the first action.

to become

Expresses a change of state; Kawai became the new commissioner of the Sports Agency.

can do ..., to be able to ...

Verb dictionary form + ことができる expresses ability or possibility. More formal than the potential verb form. Common in written Japanese and announcements.

polite non-past tense

The polite non-past ～ます states what will happen — the funeral will continue.

turns a noun into a verb

Many Sino-Japanese nouns become verbs by adding する. 返納する means 'to hand in (a licence)'.

if ~ not / must ~

Negative conditional implying necessity or negative outcome.

the one who / the thing that ~ (nominalizing の)

の stands in for an unnamed person or thing. 引き継ぐのが、大岩剛さんです means 'the one who takes over is Go Oiwa'.

To make ~ (adjective)

い-adjective stem + くする means 'to make something (adjective).' 安くする means 'to make cheaper.'

even without ~ / even if not ~

Negative te-form with も meaning even if not. Here 予約をしなくても (even without making a reservation).

to make sure that, to ensure that

Expresses the goal of bringing about a certain state or preventing something. Formed with verb plain form + ようにする. Often used to describe efforts to ensure or prevent something.

免許を返す高齢者が増えている

More elderly people are handing in their driving licences

年を取ってから車の運転をやめる人が増えています。

The number of people who stop driving once they get older is increasing.

運転が心配になった高齢者は、自分で免許を警察に返すことができます。

Elderly people who have become worried about their driving can hand their licence in to the police themselves.

これを「返納」と言います。

This is called 'hennou' (surrendering a licence).

高齢者の事故のニュースが多くなってから、返納する人が増えました。

After news reports of accidents involving elderly drivers became frequent, the number of people surrendering their licences rose.

しかし、バスや電車が少ない町では、車がないと買い物や病院に行くのが大変です。

However, in towns with few buses or trains, getting to the shops or the hospital is hard without a car.

そのため、返納をためらう人も多いです。

For that reason, many people hesitate to give up their licence.

いくつかの市や町では、免許を返した人にバスの割引券を配っています。

In some cities and towns, bus discount vouchers are handed out to people who have returned their licence.

タクシーの料金を安くするところもあります。

There are also places that make taxi fares cheaper.

専門家は「車がなくても生活できるようにすることが大切だ」と話しています。

Experts say, "What matters is arranging things so that people can live even without a car."