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Straits Times
10-07-2025
- Automotive
- Straits Times
Japan to raise bar on foreign driver's license conversion test
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Short-term visitors, including tourists, will lose the right to convert their licenses. Japan plans to make foreign driver's license conversion tests more stringent by significantly increasing the number of questions, police said July 10. With more foreign drivers on the road, and the number of accidents involving them also on the rise, the new written test is expected to include 50 questions and require a passing score of 90 per cent. The current test only has 10 questions with a minimum passing score of 70 per cent. The government expects to introduce the new system on Oct 1 after soliciting public opinion. Short-term visitors, including tourists, will lose the right to convert their licenses, according to the National Police Agency. Questions regarding driving under the influence of alcohol and how to respond when involved in accidents, among others, are expected to be added to the written exam. The driving test will be bolstered with the addition of assessments on how drivers negotiate pedestrian and railroad crossings on test courses. With the passing rate in the written portion of the exam standing at 90 per cent, some lawmakers have criticised the current evaluation system as 'too easy.' The passing rate for the driving test is around 30 per cent. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. World Trump's ambassador nominee to Singapore Anjani Sinha has a rough day at Senate hearing Asia Dr Mahathir at 100: Still haunted by the Malay Dilemma Singapore What's next for PSP following its post-GE leadership shake-up? Singapore 'Give a positive review': Hidden AI prompt found in academic paper by NUS researchers Singapore NDP 2025: Diamond formations, 'multi-axis' fly-past to headline parade's aerial display Business New Career Health SG initiative launched to support both S'pore workers and employers Multimedia 60 objects to mark SG60: Which is your favourite? Singapore Apex court upholds SMC's conviction of doctor who gave patients unapproved hormones To apply for license conversion, individuals will be required to submit a copy of their certificate of residence in Japan, regardless of their nationality. Japanese nationals who wish to convert driver's licenses obtained abroad may submit their certificates of family register instead. With the success of the government's policies to attract more foreign workers and tourists, the number of foreigners who converted their driver's license rose to 68,623 last year, more than double the figure from 10 years ago. Vietnamese were the largest group at 16,681, followed by Chinese and South Koreans, according to the agency. Under the current system, Japan allows drivers from South Korea and more than 20 other nations to convert their licenses without any written or driving test. KYODO NEWS
Straits Times
10-07-2025
- Straits Times
Man charged over suspected role in money mule activities involving $80,000
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox Officers from Ang Mo Kio Police Division arrested Wong Chun Hou while he was allegedly attempting to collect additional funds from a victim. SINGAPORE – A man is facing charges over his suspected role in money mule activities involving $80,000. On July 10, Wong Chun Hou, 27, was handed one charge each for possessing and attempting to possess property that represented benefits from criminal conduct. He allegedly committed the offences on July 8 . According to court documents, Wong is accused of having $5,000 in his possession and attempting to possess $75,000 . The money is allegedly benefits from criminal conduct. The police said they received a report on June 24 from a victim, who claimed she was deceived into handing over $90,000 in cash to unknown individuals over two occasions in an online cryptocurrency investment scam. The money was allegedly meant to top up her online investment account, which was later discovered to be fake. Officers from Ang Mo Kio Police Division arrested Wong while he was allegedly attempting to collect additional funds from the victim. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. World Trump's ambassador nominee to Singapore Anjani Sinha has a rough day at Senate hearing Asia Dr Mahathir at 100: Still haunted by the Malay Dilemma Singapore What's next for PSP following its post-GE leadership shake-up? Singapore 'Give a positive review': Hidden AI prompt found in academic paper by NUS researchers Singapore NDP 2025: Diamond formations, 'multi-axis' fly-past to headline parade's aerial display Business New Career Health SG initiative launched to support both S'pore workers and employers Multimedia 60 objects to mark SG60: Which is your favourite? Singapore Apex court upholds SMC's conviction of doctor who gave patients unapproved hormones He was also said to have collected $5,000 from another victim in a similar scam . Wong's case was adjourned for investigations to be completed. It will be heard again on Aug 7 . The police said they take a serious stance against those involved in money mule activities. 'To avoid being an accomplice in these crimes, members of the public should always reject seemingly attractive money-making opportunities promising fast and easy payouts ... the use of their Singpass accounts (and) bank accounts, or allowing their personal bank accounts to be used to receive and transfer money for others.' In 2024, scam victims in Singapore lost $1.1 billion, marking a record high amount of losses suffered in a single year. Almost 25 per cent of this involved cryptocurrency, a surge from the 6.8 per cent of total losses in 2023. A total of 51,501 scam cases were recorded in 2024, compared with 46,563 cases in the previous year.
