Japan: taxis and buses want to specify refusal in case of harassment

Une modification des conditions de transport est prévue.

Être in the present is est for a singular subject and sont for a plural one. It describes nature, state or place (“is”, “is located”). If what follows (the attribute) is a noun, adjective or prepositional phrase, it is not a passive. If a past participle follows, it is a passive (est annoncé). Headlines and summaries often use the present to describe the current situation.

Échangez calmement avec le conducteur.

The imperative expresses commands, requests and advice. It has no subject: the sentence starts with the verb (Consultez les informations.). The vous form ends in -ez, nous in -ons (Restons prudents.), and tu in -e for -er verbs (Consulte). It is very common in notices and warnings (Vérifiez, Consultez, Restez informé).

Il ne s’agit pas d’une nouvelle règle déjà appliquée partout ce matin.

A pronominal verb is used with a reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nous, vous) before the verb. It can mean “do to oneself”, “be done” or “do to each other”. In the news, se traduire (to result in), se tenir (to take place), s’agir de (to be a matter of) and se diffuser (to spread) are frequent. The pronoun changes with the subject (il se tient / ils se tiennent / je me souviens).

Il ne s’agit pas d’une nouvelle règle déjà appliquée partout ce matin.

Normally ne and pas wrap the verb. Before a vowel, ne becomes n’. Check which part of the sentence the negation covers. Ne … plus means “no longer”.

Selon Kyodo le 15 octobre, le ministère japonais des Transports prévoit de préciser les conditions permettant de refuser ou d’interrompre le transport d’un passager qui persiste dans des comportements abusifs.

Selon means “according to”. Put a person or organisation after it as the source. It separates facts the writer checked directly from what another body or report said. Citing a source does not turn a forecast into an accomplished fact.

Une modification des conditions de transport est prévue.

Prévoir means “to plan, to expect”. Être prévu means “to be scheduled” and être envisagé means “to be under consideration”. In the news, read them separately from expressions that describe events that have already happened. They do not say that the event has already taken place.

Il ne s’agit pas d’une nouvelle règle déjà appliquée partout ce matin.

It explains what something is about: “it is a matter of…”. The il is not a particular man but a formal subject of this construction. The negative il ne s’agit pas de means “this is not about…”.

Selon Kyodo le 15 octobre, le ministère japonais des Transports prévoit de préciser les conditions permettant de refuser ou d’interrompre le transport d’un passager qui persiste dans des comportements abusifs.

Qui continues a description of the person or thing just mentioned (“the one that does…”). Because qui is itself the subject of the next verb, do not repeat the subject. The verb agrees with the noun qui refers to.

運転手を守るため、12月1日の施行を目指す方針です。

予定 is a plan, 見込み a forecast and 方針 a course of action or intention. None of them asserts that something has already been carried out. Note the difference from expressions such as “決まりました”.

今日から一律に新しい運用が始まったという情報ではありません。

They negate a noun and similar content. “ではありません” is the polite form and “ではない” the plain form. “成立ではありません” shows that it cannot be said to have been concluded.

安全な移動のため、運転手の案内に従い、疑問は落ち着いて確認しましょう。

ため is used for both reason and purpose. “成立ではないため” is a reason and “運転手を守るため” a purpose. Decide from the whole sentence whether what precedes is a cause or a goal.

暴言などをやめない乗客への乗車拒否や降車要求を明確にする内容です。

“暴言など” gives “abusive language” as one example. It is not necessarily a closed list of only the things named. It also helps when reading the scope of a news story.

共同通信は15日、国土交通省がタクシーやバスの標準運送約款を改定する方針だと報じました。

In “発表しました”, ました makes a verb polite past. The negative is “ませんでした”. Read the actual date together with the date and time in the text.

共同通信は15日、国土交通省がタクシーやバスの標準運送約款を改定する方針だと報じました。

と takes the content that is reported or explained. In “改定する方針だと報じました”, “改定する方針だ” is what the report said. Separating the content from who said it and how makes long sentences easier to read.