There are a few ways in which you can be allowed to drive in Japan. First let us look into how if you have never gotten a driver’s license before. If it is your first time getting a driver’s license, you can get one by going to a driving school like the Japanese do. This option will on average cost about 240.000-340.000 JPY for the driving school and approximately 1.550 JPY for the written examination and 2.050 for the actual license. It is indeed possible to find foreigner friendly driving schools in Japan where they can speak English. When looking into driving schools, it is important to take note of what kind of driving school you choose. There are two types; designated driving schools and unauthorized driving schools. The designated driving schools are authorized under the National Public Safety Commission and can give you a diploma which can be used to exempt you from going through the driving skills examination at a test site. The unauthorized driving schools cannot issue such diplomas and you will have to go through the examination, which has a low passing rate and majority only pass on the second attempt. This extra exam does however make unauthorized driving schools more affordable.
If you do have a driver’s license in your baggage from your home country there are two options on how you can be allowed to drive legally in Japan. The first one is by obtaining an international driving permit or IDP for short. An IDP is only valid for one year at a time in Japan, even if the actual permit’s validity is longer, after that you would need to leave Japan for a minimum of three consecutive months before you can use it again. Furthermore, is the fact that Japan only accepts IDPs in accordance with the 1949 Geneva convention. There are however some different agreements that allow Belgium, France, Germany, Monaco, Switzerland and Taiwan to drive in Japan for up to a year with an official Japanese translation of their driver’s license. This permit is however one you would need to obtain in your home country before coming to Japan.
The second way for people who already have a driver’s license is to get a Japanese drivers license through your current one. This method is however not available for all countries and states, but over 20 countries that Japan has an agreement with, to make the process of obtaining the license a bit easier. If you are lucky enough to be from one of these selected countries and possess a valid driver’s license you will not need to go through the written and practical exam. Instead, you will only need an official translation of your license, which can be obtained through Japan Automobile Federation or JAF for short. Along with the translation you have to bring your passport and evidence that you have had this license for at least three months in the country where it was issued prior to your arrival in Japan. You might also get to have a small interview and a quick eye and physical test, and if everything seems okay, then you can leave with your new Japanese driver’s license. This will cost approximately 3.500 JPY for the translation. For students at Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University a multicultural university located in the city of Beppu, the closest center, where all this can be done, is in the neighbouring Oita city, so not very far.
For people who come from countries or states not in this sort of agreement with Japan, they will need to take the written and practical exam which they have to pass in order to get their Japanese driver’s license.
So hopefully this shines a bit of light on how to obtain a Japanese driver’s license or a permit if you stay here less than a year. It is not too difficult but if you should still have some questions you are always welcome to contact us on our Instagram at apu.leaf or click this link: https://www.instagram.com/apu.leaf/
And just a small heads up, as majority of the world drives in the right side, Japan is part of the 35% of the world who drives drives in the left lane.
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