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Yomiuri Shimbun
a day ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Accidents by Foreign Drivers Spur License Conversion Review; Tourists from Some Nations May Be Unable to Drive in Japan
The Yomiuri Shimbun Basic traffic rules in Japan are presented in multiple languages in Traffic Safety Textbook, a book produced by the Saitama prefectural police. A series of reckless accidents caused by foreign drivers has prompted the National Police Agency to speed up its review of the requirements for converting foreign driver's licenses to Japanese ones. With an increasing number of foreign nationals driving for work or tourism, there is a growing need to inform them more effectively about traffic rules and ensure stricter adherence. Manabu Sakai, chairman of the National Public Safety Commission, on May 26 spoke on a plan to expedite changes to the foreign license conversion system, saying, 'Stronger measures are necessary to ensure that [foreign drivers] fully understand traffic rules.' High-profile accidents involving foreign drivers who obtained their licenses through the conversion system gained prominence last month. There was a hit-and-run incident involving elementary school students on May 14 in Misato, Saitama Prefecture. A Chinese national working as a demolition worker was arrested on May 19 on suspicion of having consumed alcohol shortly before the accident. Police also arrested an unemployed Peruvian national suspected of causing a multicar accident after they allegedly drove more than 14 kilometers in the wrong direction on the Shin-Meishin Expressway in Kameyama, Mie Prefecture, on May 18. The foreign license conversion system, introduced in 1933, was initially designed to help Japanese nationals smoothly obtain Japanese driver's licenses upon returning from abroad. However, since 1990, the number of foreign nationals using the system has surpassed that of Japanese nationals. Last year, foreign nationals accounted for 94% of all foreign license conversions, totaling 69,283 individuals. By country of origin, those from Vietnam led the way with 16,810 license conversions, followed by those from China with 15,458 — about a 40% increase from the previous year. This increase is believed to be due in part to the topic of 'Japan's driver's licenses are easy to obtain' gaining traction on social media. There are three main ways for foreign nationals to drive in Japan: first, by using an International Driving Permit issued by a signatory country to the Geneva Convention on Road Traffic; second, by driving with a foreign driver's license from one of six designated countries and regions, including Germany and Taiwan, along with an official Japanese translation of that license; and third, by converting an existing foreign driver's license to a Japanese one. The foreign license conversion process is generally a two-stage examination, consisting of a written knowledge test and a practical skills test. In 2023, the combined pass rate was 91%. The written exam for converting a foreign driver's license has been criticized for being 'too easy' compared to the standard Japanese driver's license test. Additionally, foreign tourists with passports have been permitted to obtain licenses using hotel stay certificates as a proof of address. Traffic accidents caused by foreign nationals has risen noticeably, with 7,286 incidents recorded last year — 342 more the previous year — including 54 fatalities. The share of such accidents has also consistently climbed, reaching 2.7% of all reported accidents last year. This trend has fueled growing concerns regarding the foreign license conversion system within the Diet since the start of this year. In a push for reforming the system, the NPA is set to restrict permissible address verification documents to copies of residence certificates and will bar foreign tourists from utilizing the foreign license conversion system. This measure will effectively prevent tourists from countries like China and Vietnam, which are not signatories to the Geneva Convention, from driving in Japan. For foreign residents in Japan, the NPA plans to increase the number of knowledge-based questions during the license conversion process and strengthen the practical test. It also intends to reinforce traffic safety education for drivers after they obtain their licenses, according to the NPA. Amid ongoing labor shortages, foreign drivers are a valuable resource in the nation. Last year, the government added the automobile transportation business as a new status of residence under the Specified Skilled Worker program. Given that a Japanese driver's license is required to qualify for this status, the number of foreign nationals utilizing the foreign license conversion system is expected to increase further. More effort needed to inform foreign drivers about traffic rules Traffic accidents involving foreign drivers are on the increase in Japan, and the issue is coming under the spotlight. Nevertheless, there are few places where foreign drivers can learn Japanese traffic rules in foreign languages. Moreover, the country has failed to install enough foreigner-friendly traffic signs and to thoroughly inform the drivers about proper Japanese driving etiquette. Measures need to be taken urgently across the country. According to the Japan Federation of Authorized Drivers School Associations in Tokyo, driving lessons in foreign languages were available at only 121 institutions, less than 10% of its 1,261 member schools, as of 2020. 'If instructors and students cannot understand each other, it could lead to dangerous situations during the lessons,' said an official of a driving school that refuses anyone who cannot speak Japanese. On the other hand, some schools offer lessons in foreign languages. Smart Driver School Shiojiri in Shiojiri, Nagano Prefecture, accepts about 150 foreign students a year, including Brazilians and Peruvians. The school uses a translation app in its lessons. At Tokorozawa Driving School in Tokorozawa, Saitama Prefecture, foreign residents from India, Nepal, the Philippines and other countries receive their lessons in English. In the run-up to the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics in 2021, police across the country took steps to make traffic signs that were easy for foreigners to understand, such as by writing 'Stop' alongside its Japanese equivalent, 'Tomare,' on stop signs. However, in Hokkaido, where many foreign tourists travel around in rent-a-cars, only 7% of stop signs had both the Japanese and English words as of the end of March. 'We will replace them gradually, partly because we have a limited budget, starting from places that many foreigners visit,' said a Hokkaido police officer. In an effort to promote awareness of traffic rules among foreign residents, the Saitama prefectural police released its Traffic Safety Textbook. The book teaches basic traffic rules, such as those obligating drivers to report traffic accidents to police and banning driving under the influence of alcohol, in nine languages, including Vietnamese, Chinese and Persian. 'The level of consideration toward pedestrians, what constitutes speeding, and right-of-way rules vary from country to country,' said Prof. Kenji Doi, an expert on transportation planning at the University of Osaka. 'In Asian countries, including Japan, informing foreign drivers about traffic rules is not done as much as in European Union countries.'
South China Morning Post
22-05-2025
- South China Morning Post
In Japan, accident-prone foreign drivers spur licensing rethink
A series of high-profile accidents involving foreign drivers has prompted Japanese authorities to re-evaluate a decades-old system that allows overseas licence holders to obtain a local driving permit with minimal testing – a move experts say is long overdue as Japan sees a surge in inbound tourism and immigration. Since 1993, foreigners holding a valid driving licence from their home countries have been allowed to convert it to a Japanese licence by answering just seven out of 10 questions on a multiple-choice exam correctly. No practical driving test or mandatory training is required under the current rules. The ease of the process has drawn renewed scrutiny in the wake of recent fatal and dangerous incidents. Tokyo Broadcasting System reported that Manabu Sakai, who heads the National Public Safety Commission, admitted in a parliamentary session in March that 'the written test is simple, even in my opinion'. Since the 1990s, foreigners holding a valid driving licence from their home countries have been allowed to convert it to a Japanese licence with minimal testing. Photo: AFP While Japan's roads are widely regarded as safe, challenges abound for newcomers – from navigating densely populated urban streets to adjusting to left-hand driving and unfamiliar signage. And when mistakes are made, the consequences can be deadly. In January, police in Yokohama arrested a Turkish man who was driving a large truck but struck an elderly woman on a bicycle at a crossing. The 73-year-old woman was killed and the driver has been charged with her death. On Sunday, a Peruvian man was caught on security cameras driving for about 10km on the wrong side of a motorway in Mie prefecture, in central Japan. As the man's car drove into the oncoming traffic, other vehicles were forced to take evasive action, causing a number of collisions. The man reported to a police station after the incident attracted extensive media coverage. He has been charged with dangerous driving and causing damage to other vehicles. Three days earlier, a Thai man was arrested in Ibaraki prefecture, in northeast Japan, on suspicion of driving a light van under the influence of alcohol. The man had reportedly crashed into a road sign and turned over.
Japan Today
17-05-2025
- Automotive
- Japan Today
Japanese gov't considering more restrictions on foreign driver's license conversions
By SoraNews24 Last year, we reported on a trend wherein Chinese nationals, who already have Chinese driver's licenses, come to Japan for a week or so on a tourist visa and pick up a Japanese driver's license while here. You might wonder why someone who lives in China would want both a Chinese and a Japanese driver's license, and the reason is that China doesn't have as many international driver's license agreements as Japan does, meaning that it's easier for Chinese nationals to convert their Japanese license into an international driving permit when going to a third country than it is to do the same with a Chinese license. Going to another country to get a driver's license seems like it ought to be a major hassle, considering you'd need to return there to renew it and apply for international permits. But, it's surprisingly easy in Japan. With the low yen, travel has never been more affordable from a lot of countries, and the system is set up so that converting another country's license to a Japanese one only requires a short test that's easier than the soul-crushing one Japanese people endure by leaps and bounds. ▼ Staying well in your lane but making a slightly wide right turn to clear that tight curb? Sorry, you fail. Image: SoraNews24 In fact, it's so easy that one doesn't even need a permanent address to apply for one; a hotel address would suffice. Possibly for all of these reasons, the number of foreign license conversions has been steadily rising from 30,381 in 2014 to 75,905 in 2024. This is causing some politicians to wonder if it's too easy. Manabu Sakai, head of the National Public Safety Commission, said 'the written test is too simple' and announced that it would be looked into. Meanwhile, former cabinet member and outspoken MP Taro Kono seems to have gone one step further and announced that the National Police Agency is already stopping issuance for Chinese license seekers who do not have residence in Japan. ▼ 'The National Police Agency has made it clear that Chinese nationals who do not have a residence card in Japan will no longer be able to exchange their Chinese driver's license for a Japanese one. They will also ensure that the law will be applied to cases where the rules were followed too loosely in the past.' Although Kono seems certain that a policy is already in place, there haven't been any announcements regarding driver's licenses on the National Police Agency website. Also, a report on driver's license statistics in Japan, published two days after Kono's post, says that the agency is still investigating the matter. Some social media users were also confused by Kono's apparent proclamation, while most comments online seemed to agree that something ought to be done about the current situation. 'Where can I see this announcement by the National Police Agency?' 'When will this go into effect?' 'They're going to review past licenses too?' 'Just stop it altogether and cancel all past licenses given out this way.' 'The people who got them before had no fixed address. How are you going to find them?' 'It's impossible to cancel existing ones, but easy to stop renewing them.' 'This is a matter of life and death, so I can't believe that it's so easy to get a license with a quick test.' 'They really should take care of this as soon as possible.' 'If they have to take the same test Japanese people do, that would be fine.' It does make sense that people holding essentially the same license and presumably sharing the same road should have acquired their licenses by the same standards. Perhaps raising the bar for foreign conversions and lowering the bar for domestic licenses to meet each other halfway might be a step in the right direction. Source: The Sankei Shimbun, X/@konotarogomame, Hachima Kiko, Yahoo! News Read more stories from SoraNews24. -- Chinese drivers flocking to Japan for quick and easy route to international licenses -- Getting a driver's license in Japan the hard way: The first written test -- Getting a driver's license in Japan the hard way: The End External Link © SoraNews24
