10-07-2025
Japan to bar foreign tourists from converting driver's licenses
Japan's National Police Agency plans to revise the system for converting driver's licenses obtained overseas to Japanese ones.
Under the revised system, foreign tourists and other short-stay visitors will not be allowed to convert the license they hold.
People with a license issued abroad can obtain a Japanese one if they are certified to have the knowledge and skills to drive in Japan.
The National Police Agency says some 68,000 foreigners got Japanese licenses through this system last year. The figure was a record high.
The agency began considering revisions after Japanese lawmakers pointed out in the Diet that allowing foreign visitors to declare hotels and other temporary accommodation as their place of residence could hamper law enforcement if the visitors cause a traffic accident.
They also expressed concern that the test to confirm knowledge may be too easy, and foreigners may be driving without fully understanding Japanese traffic rules.
The police agency decided to verify the applicant's address in principle by having them present a copy of their residence certificate, regardless of nationality.
An agency survey of license conversion systems in 15 countries and regions found that none of them allowed tourists to make the switch.
The agency says foreign tourists who wish to drive in Japan will be required to obtain an international driver's license based on the Geneva Convention on Road Traffic.
In addition, the test to confirm knowledge of traffic rules will have 50 questions, up from the current 10, and applicants will need to correctly answer at least 90 percent of them.
Scoring will also be made tougher for the practical test to confirm driving skills.
The police agency will solicit public opinions from Friday and plans to start operating the revised system on October 1.
