Japanese police are urging visitors from abroad to drive rental cars safely amid a rising number of traffic accidents involving foreign drivers in areas near Mount Fuji.



Traffic accidents are on rise as more foreigners rent cars to travel around Japan's highest mountain.



Police in Yamanashi Prefecture say in a preliminary report that 769 accidents in the Fuji-hokuroku region, north of Mt. Fuji, last year involved rental cars driven by foreigners. The number was highest in the past 10 years.



At a rental car firm in the town of Fujikawaguchiko on Friday, police handed out flyers written in foreign languages that explain traffic rules in Japan.



The flyers have a QR code that can be scanned to show locations of traffic accidents involving foreign drivers.



The officers then took their campaign to a park in Fujiyoshida City that is popular among foreign tourists for its view of Mt. Fuji and a five-story pagoda.



An officer from the traffic division of the city's police station, Wada Kohei, said he wants foreign drivers to abide by Japanese traffic rules and drive safely.



He also said local residents should keep in mind that many foreign drivers are not familiar with Japanese rules.