Daily Life in Japan
Driver’s License、Traffic Rules
Driver’s License
You must hold the following licenses in order to drive in Japan. With ② and ③ you can drive for up to one year.
- ①Japanese driver’s license
- ②”International driving permit” stipulated in the “Geneva Conventions.”
- ③Driver’s license issued in your country or region, and a translation of the license into Japanese(Switzerland, Germany, France, Belgium, Monaco, and Taiwan)
How to get a Japanese driver’s license
You need to go through a process at the Ibaraki Prefectural Driving License Center to get your driver’s license.
The Ibaraki Prefectural Driving License Center information (Japanese)
Acquiring a driver’s license in Japan
At the Driving License Center you will take the following tests
- 1.Skills test: to see if the driver has the skills to drive
- 2.Knowledge test: knowledge necessary for driving (traffic rules, laws, etc.)
You can also take the test in English, Chinese, or Portuguese.Ibaraki Prefectural Police: Regarding the start of English written tests (English)
- 3. Aptitude test: vision and hearing tests
※Many people attend a “driving school” before taking the tests.
List of driving schools in Ibaraki Prefecture (Japanese)
If you will change your driver’s license from your own country to a Japanese driver’s license
Only those who have been in their own country for at least three months from the date of their driver’s license in their own country may apply.
Ibaraki Prefectural Police: Switching from a foreign driver’s license to a Japanese license
Ibaraki Prefectural Police: partial exemption from tests under Foreign Licenses
Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department: Foreign Driver’s Licenses and International Driving Permits
Japanese Traffic Rules
Japan has its own traffic rules.