EDITORIAL: Make system for converting to Japanese driver's license safer

Asahi Shimbun

2 days ago

The vehicle involved in a hit-and-run accident in Saitama Prefecture that injured four elementary school students (Shun Tsunekawa)
The time has come to think about ways to improve Japan's traffic rules by thrashing out the issues to determine if the current system is adequate.
There has been an increase in the number of foreigners obtaining Japanese driver's licenses under the current procedure of converting from a license obtained abroad.
Some have pointed out that the procedure is too simple and the National Police Agency (NPA) has begun considering whether a review is warranted.
According to the agency, there are two aspects to the system that confirm driving skills and knowledge. An applicant passes the knowledge section by getting at least seven of 10 true-or-false questions correct.
The system was originally established for Japanese drivers who obtained a license abroad and wanted a Japanese one after returning home.
But in 2023, foreigners made up 93 percent of those who converted to a Japanese license. There were large numbers of Vietnamese and Chinese who utilized the system.
There have also been examples of foreign tourists in Japan on short stays who have used the process to obtain a Japanese license.
It is only natural to expect those using Japanese public roads to be tested for the necessary skills and to confirm they have sufficient knowledge of the rules of the road.
Japan is a signatory to the Convention on Road Traffic, commonly known as the Geneva Convention. Licensed Japanese drivers can therefore drive in about 100 other signatory nations after obtaining an international driver's license.
China has not signed the convention and many Chinese come to Japan to obtain a Japanese license to be able to drive in other nations.
Copies of a passport and residence certificate are required for an application, but tourists without such certificates can apply by listing their hotel as their 'dwelling place.'
But that has led to problems in the past of difficulties in contacting the individual when an accident occurs.
The NPA is planning to require, in principle, the submittal of a copy of the residence certificate, in effect reviewing the system to exclude tourists.
In line with that proposed change, the knowledge test should also be thoroughly revamped so applicants are quizzed on basic points of the Road Traffic Law as well as their understanding of road traffic signs and warning signs on expressways.
Recent accidents, including a hit-and-run in which four elementary school students in Saitama Prefecture were injured and a vehicle traveling in the wrong direction on a Mie Prefecture section of the Shin-Meishin Expressway, involved foreign drivers who had used the system to convert to a Japanese license.
Government officials said they do not have statistics about differences in accident rates between those who have converted to Japanese licenses and all others.
Still, there is a need to analyze any connection with individual cases of reckless driving in order to establish proper measures.
Japanese drivers are often flustered when driving in other countries where driving on the right side of the road is the rule.
In addition to making the test more strict, there is also a need to improve the road environment and to change signs, particularly on expressways where the risk of a major accident is greater, from the standpoint of drivers so that they will more easily understand them.
There are, of course, people who convert to Japanese licenses in order to work here and who are careful about safe driving.
Coexistence with foreigners is an issue for society as a whole.
Any review of the system should avoid steering it in a direction that leads to the exclusion of foreigners.
--The Asahi Shimbun, June 2