What Has Changed with the Tighter Regulations on Foreign Driver’s License Conversion?

On October 1, 2025, the system for converting foreign driver’s licenses to Japanese licenses underwent significant changes. Many of you have likely seen news reports stating that the system has become stricter, but what exactly has changed, and to what extent?

A look at the latest data released by the National Police Agency in March 2026 clearly illustrates this “stricter” approach in numerical terms. In this article, we will explain the details of the revisions, their background, and their impact on the field in as clear a manner as possible.

What Is the Foreign Driver’s License Conversion System?

The foreign driver’s license conversion system allows individuals to convert a driver’s license obtained overseas into a Japanese driver’s license. It has been in operation since the revised Road Traffic Act took effect in May 1994 and is administered by the National Police Agency and the Prefectural Public Safety Commissions.
Originally, this system was designed with Japanese nationals living abroad returning temporarily to Japan, as well as foreign nationals working in Japan for a limited period—such as diplomats and technical professionals—in mind. It was not intended for “temporary visitors” like tourists.
However, as the system’s use expanded, instances of misuse—contrary to its original intent—began to increase. This trend has led to the current revisions to the system.

3 Key Changes Resulting from the Tighter Regulations

The amendments to the Enforcement Regulations of the Road Traffic Act, which took effect on October 1, 2025, have brought about the following 3 major changes:

① Stricter address verification — Tourists will effectively be unable to apply

Prior to the amendment, it was possible to apply using a combination of a passport and a “certificate of temporary residence” listing a hotel or a friend’s home as the place of residence. With this amendment, that practice has been prohibited, and submission of a copy of the applicant’s resident registration certificate is now required as a general rule, regardless of the applicant’s nationality.

In other words, short-term visitors—such as those on tourist visas—who do not hold a certificate of residence are no longer eligible to apply for a change of status from a foreigner’s registration. In effect, this system has returned to its original purpose as a program intended for “resident foreigners” holding medium- to long-term status of residence.

② Significant increase in the difficulty of the knowledge assessment (written exam)

The content of the written exam has been raised to a level nearly equivalent to that required for obtaining a new license.

Item
Before the amendment
After the amendment
Form
Illustrations · True/False format
Word Problems
Number of questions
10 Questions
50 Questions (5x)
Passing Score
7 correct answers (70%)
45 correct answers (90%)

The illustration-based questions have been eliminated, and the exam now focuses primarily on questions that require students to read passages and draw conclusions. With the number of questions increasing fivefold and only five mistakes allowed, the exam has reached a level where passing is difficult if one relies solely on rote memorization.

③ Stricter grading for the skills assessment (practical exam)

The practical test has also been revised to ensure a high level of safety in line with Japanese road conditions.
Specifically, new tasks have been added, such as crossing pedestrian crossings, passing railroad crossings, starting on an incline, and navigating curved sections. The course length has been changed from the previous “approximately 1,200 meters” to “1,200 meters or more,” and at least three different course configurations are now required.

In terms of scoring, many items that previously fell under the “special deduction” system (where the first mistake is overlooked and points are deducted retroactively starting from the second mistake) are now subject to immediate point deductions. Failure to signal and violations of turning rules will also be scored as strictly as they are for first-time license applicants.

The Impact of Tighter Standards in Numbers

Data released by the National Police Agency in March 2026 clearly illustrates the impact of the revisions.

Exams
Full Year 2024
October–December 2025
Knowledge Test (Written)
92.5%
42.8%
Skills Test (Practical)
30.4%
13.1%

There has been a significant drop, with the knowledge test passing rate falling by approximately 54% and the skills test by approximately 57%. This shows that the exam, which was once derided as one where “almost everyone passes,” has literally been transformed.
The situation is even more severe when broken down by prefecture. Reports indicate that in Mie Prefecture, only 3 out of 87 candidates passed; in Shizuoka Prefecture, the passing rate dropped from 93% to 38%; and in Aichi Prefecture, it fell from 94% to 34.9%.

Why has the exam become so strict?

The trigger for such drastic changes to the system was a series of serious accidents that occurred in May 2025.
On May 14, in Misato City, Saitama Prefecture, a 42-year-old Chinese national drove his car into a line of elementary school students walking home from school, injuring 4 boys before fleeing the scene in a hit-and-run incident. It was revealed that the man had been drinking prior to the incident and had obtained his Japanese driver’s license through the foreign license conversion process.
4 days later, on May 18, on the Shin-Meishin Expressway in Kameyama City, Mie Prefecture, a passenger car driven by a 34-year-old Peruvian man drove the wrong way, causing an accident that involved a vehicle attempting to avoid it. This driver was also a user of the foreign license conversion system.

In addition to the accidents themselves, issues were pointed out regarding the actual implementation of the foreign license conversion system. These included cases where foreigners visiting Japan on tourist visas applied using a hotel address, the widespread sharing of “tips and tricks” on Chinese social media, and the fact that a so-called “reverse import” route—where people from countries not signatories to the Geneva Convention (such as China and Vietnam) obtain a Japanese license to acquire an international driver’s license—was becoming established.

According to a National Police Agency survey, among 15 countries and regions, Japan was the only one where even tourists could convert their licenses. In many countries, conditions for conversion include “a stay of three months or longer” or “resident registration.”
The number of people converting foreign licenses has also surged. It has more than doubled in about 10 years, rising from 33,687 in 2015 to approximately 75,905 in 2024. By nationality in 2024, Vietnam topped the list with about 16,700 people, followed by China with about 15,000.
According to accident statistics for foreign drivers released for the first time by the National Police Agency, fatal and serious injury accidents caused by foreign drivers in the first half of 2025 accounted for over 2% of the total, reaching a record high. There were 22 fatal accidents and 236 serious injury accidents.

The list of 29 countries and regions eligible for exam exemptions remains unchanged this time.

Please note that not all countries’ driver’s licenses are treated equally. For the 29 countries and regions deemed to have a licensing system equivalent to Japan’s, the special provision exempting applicants from both the written and practical exams remains in effect.
Specifically, these include Iceland, Ireland, the United States (limited to 7 states), the United Kingdom, Italy, Australia, Austria, the Netherlands, Canada, South Korea, Greece, Switzerland, Sweden, Spain, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, New Zealand, Norway, Hungary, Finland, France, Belgium, Poland, Portugal, Monaco, Luxembourg, and Taiwan. In the U.S. state of Indiana, only the skills test is exempted.

What is happening on the ground

Since the system reform, severe backlogs in appointment scheduling have occurred at driver’s license testing centers across the country. At the Samezu Driver’s License Testing Center in Tokyo, as of October 2025—immediately following the reform—appointments were fully booked 3 months in advance, and it was reported that “it is unlikely that the license conversion will be completed within 2025.”
The impact on industry is also significant. In sectors such as logistics, transportation, and manufacturing—where hiring foreign drivers had become commonplace—licenses that were previously almost guaranteed to be obtained have become increasingly difficult to secure. Problems are beginning to arise, such as new hires being unable to drive after joining the company, the need to reassign them to different departments, or even the cancellation of job offers.

In particular, for the “Motor Transport” category of the Specified Skilled Worker program, holding a Japanese driver’s license is a mandatory requirement, and an international driver’s license is not sufficient. In some cases, if foreign license holders cannot convert their licenses, the very basis for employment is undermined, forcing companies to fundamentally reevaluate their hiring plans.
On the other hand, according to interviews with Chinese driving instructors in Japan, some view the situation as less dire than the pass rates suggest. They say the exam content is nearly identical to the one-shot test for Japanese nationals and is at a level that can be easily passed with proper preparation. Rather, the real issue is the difficulty in securing an appointment; waiting times of one to two months are not uncommon, and there is a noticeable trend of applicants turning to testing centers in rural areas.

Remaining Issues

While the tightening of regulations is generally viewed as a return to normalcy, several points remain open to debate.
Although the knowledge test supports 21 languages, actual road signs in Japan are not written in 20 languages. A clear answer has yet to be provided to the fundamental question: “How should we view people who cannot read road signs in Japanese driving on Japanese roads?”
In addition, operational challenges remain, such as the influx of applicants to regional testing centers and the sharing of test-taking strategies within communities.

Summary

The stricter requirements for converting foreign driver’s licenses in accordance with the following three points:

1. Tourists are no longer eligible to apply (submission of a certificate of residence is generally required)

2. The written exam is now at the level of a first-time license applicant (five times of the number of questions; passing score raised from 70% to 90%)

3. The practical test grading has been raised to the level of a first-time license application (additional tasks, expanded list of immediate penalty items)

As a result, the pass rates plummeted from 92.5% to 42.8% for the written test and from 30.4% to 13.1% for the practical test.

The foreign driver’s license conversion system is intended to support the participation of foreign residents in traffic as members of the community.
These stricter measures are viewed as a step toward reform, aimed at correcting operational distortions and returning the system to its original purpose.

In a sense, it could be said that we have returned to a rule that is only natural: as long as one drives in Japan, they must meet the same standards as Japanese citizens.
We have entered an era where companies and local governments that hire foreign nationals are also required to take new measures, such as reviewing safe driving education and hiring plans.

Key References

• National Police Agency: “Status of Foreign Driver’s License Conversion Exams” (Published March 2026)

• Metropolitan Police Department: “Regarding the Revised Road Traffic Act Enforcement Regulations Effective October 1, 2025”

• Basic Policy on Economic and Fiscal Management and Reform 2025 (Basic Policy)

• Guidance on foreign driver’s license conversion from prefectural police departments (e.g., Kanagawa Prefectural Police, Osaka Prefectural Police)