Japan tightens licence conversion rules for foreign drivers

TOKYO – The Japanese government introduced stricter rules governing the conversion of foreign driving licences on Oct 1. Non-residents are no longer permitted to use the system following a recent spate of accidents involving foreign drivers.

Applicants are now required to submit a copy of their Japanese residence certificate, in contrast to the previous system, which allowed short-term visitors to list hotels or other accommodations as their address.

The number of questions on the knowledge test has been increased fivefold to 50, available in 20 languages, with examinees required to correctly answer at least 90 per cent of them.

The driving skills test has also been expanded to include assessments on how drivers negotiate pedestrian and railroad crossings on test courses.

Japanese nationals living abroad can convert foreign licences by submitting their family register certificates.

Foreign nationals who have newly obtained Japanese licences are not permitted to renew them if they no longer have a residence certificate.

The stricter rules were implemented in response to lawmakers criticising the previous conversion test as “too easy” to pass, as examinees could pass the knowledge test by correctly answering seven out of 10 questions correctly, also available in about 20 languages.

The number of conversions from foreign licences to Japanese ones has been growing recently, with the figure more than doubling over the past decade to 68,623 in 2024, according to the National Police Agency.

Of the foreigners who converted their driving licences, Vietnamese citizens were the largest group at 16,681, followed by Chinese and South Koreans, the agency said. KYODO NEWS