Japan to tighten license conversion rules for foreign drivers

The Mainichi

22-05-2025

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Japan's National Police Agency said Thursday it will review rules to switch driver's licenses from other countries to Japanese ones following a recent series of accidents by foreign drivers.
The agency plans to require those seeking to switch to a Japanese driver's license to submit a copy of their residence certificate in Japan as a standard requirement while also considering increasing the number of questions on the knowledge test.
Under current rules, short-term visitors in Japan can obtain Japanese licenses by listing hotels or other accommodations as their address.
While both knowledge and driving skill checks are currently required, examinees can pass the knowledge test by answering seven out of ten questions correctly, with about 90 percent passing, a rate some lawmakers have criticized as "too easy."
Japanese citizens who live abroad will not be required to show residence certificates to convert their foreign licenses but must provide other proof of residence while in the country.
"Accidents have been increasing among foreigners who obtained licenses under the (current conversion) system," Yoshinobu Kusunoki, commissioner general of the National Police Agency, said at a press conference. "We will draw up a revised plan and take the necessary steps."
According to the agency, the number of conversions from foreign licenses to Japanese ones has been growing recently, rising by about 12,000 to 60,010 cases in 2023 from a year earlier.
On Sunday, two Chinese men were arrested over an alleged hit-and-run that injured four elementary school boys near Tokyo last week. The driver was suspected to have been under the influence of alcohol at the time.
A Peruvian man was also arrested Monday after he allegedly drove his car the wrong way on an expressway in central Japan, collided with multiple vehicles and injured four women.
Both drivers had Japanese licenses converted from foreign licenses, according to investigative sources, and held certificates of residence, according to the National Police Agency.
"There have been cases where a license was issued during a two-night, three-day stay," Itsunori Onodera, policy chief of the Liberal Democratic Party, said at a party meeting Wednesday, adding that "serious incidents threatening the safety and security of people living in Japan are happening."
"We will consider (measures) by working closely with relevant ministries and agencies," Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said at a press conference.