Among people from the other countries living in Japan, some might think about driving a car as their transportation. However, driver’s license issued in foreign countries are not valid itself in Japan.
If you would like to drive a car in Japan, you must obtain a Japanese driver’s license. So here I would like to introduce the requirements and acquisition methods of Japanese driver’s license. I hope this article will help people who are considering moving to Japan or obtaining Japanese driver’s license near future.
- 2 Acquisition methods of Japanese driver’s license for people from aboard.
- Go to a driving school in Japan
- Pass a proficiency test at a driver’s license test center
Let’s see the procedure in detail…
- Go to a driving school in Japan
Once you enter an accredited driving school, you will attend some lectures and practical trainings and acquire learner’s permit. After that, you will take both a graduation exam for the driving school and full driver’s license test at a driver’s license test center and pass them.
However, some people might feel a little unsure of going to a driving school in Japan due to language differences. If you are worried about Japanese language and prefer to learn in English, there are a couple of driving schools you can try with your mother tongue like English, Chinese, Portuguese and so on.
Courses you can choose at a driving school
There are 2 types of course to learn at a driving school.
- Commute course (Attend school for 2-3 months.)
- Training camp (Attend intensive training camp for about 14 days.)
As noted above, you can finish training camp in short-term comparing to commute course at a driving school. Therefore, in case you’re in urgent need for a driver’s license in Japan, we suggest taking a training camp. During the training camp, you will stay at a dormitory or hotel designated by a driving school.
Requirements for entering a driving school
Please be aware of satisfying all the requirements when you attempt to enter a driving school in Japan.
・Ages 18 and over
・Visual acuity of 0.3 or better in each of the eyes and 0.7 or better in both eyes
(Corrected vision with glasses, contact lenses etc. are acceptable)
・Be able to identify Blue, Yellow and Red of a traffic light
・Be able to hear in both ears at a distance of 10 meters, and hear a 90 decibel alarm
(Hearing compensated by a hearing aid is also acceptable)
・Physically able to operate a vehicle
(Handicap compensated by assistance aid is acceptable, too)
・Pass a proficiency test at a driver’s license test center
(the tests are conducted only on the weekdays)
Proficiency test is given at a driver’s license test center, and you will take both written and practical skills tests without going to a driving school. If you were able to pass both tests, and take some acquisition lectures, the license will be given.
Here is the example of the costs and acceptance criteria in Chiba Prefecture.
*You need to confirm the costs and the criteria details with license bureaus in your resident area as they are differed regionally.
***Cost for a proficiency test at a driver’s license test center in Chiba Pref.***
・Learner’s permit (Written test + Practical skills test + Issuance Fee) \5,500-
・Full driver‘s license test (Written test + Practical skills test + Issuance Fee) \5,400-
・License acquisition lectures fee \15,400-
TOTAL: \26,300-
Take a proficiency test
By taking the proficiency test, you can suppress the cost required for going to a driving school. However, the acceptance rate for this test is only 5% among examinees and the acceptance criteria is following below.
- Learner’s permit written test:
A passing score is a score of 90 points or up out of 100 points. - Lerner’s permit practical skills test:
The test is scored on 100 points demerit system with 70 points as the minimum passing score.
⇒Issuance of Lerner’s permit will be given after passing the tests above.
- On-the-road driving lessons:
Practice on public roads for at least 5 days (2 hours a day roughly) within 3 months before the final tests with a qualified instructor. - Application for a Full driver‘s license tests:
Submit a Roadside Practice Report Form with your record and results of your on-the-road driving lessons - Full driver’s license written test:
A passing score is a score of 90 points or up out of 100 points. - Full driver’s license practical skills test:
The test is scored on 100 points demerit system with 70 points as the minimum passing score. - Acquisition Lessons:
Take lessons at a driving school regarding first aid, hazard anticipation, driving on the highway. - Issuance of full driver’s license
You must pass all the tests and cannot miss any single test because you must take all of them again to obtain a full driver’s license with the proficiency test.
Requirements for obtaining a driver’s license
Basically, the requirements for obtaining a driver’s license are the same as entering a driving school.
・Ages 18 and over
・Visual acuity of 0.3 or better in each of the eyes and 0.7 or better in both eyes
(Corrected vision with glasses, contact lenses etc. are acceptable)
・Be able to identify Blue, Yellow and Red of a traffic light
・Be able to hear in both ears at a distance of 10 meters, and hear a 90 decibel alarm
(Hearing compensated by a hearing aid is also acceptable)
・Physically able to operate a vehicle
(Handicap compensated by assistance aid is acceptable, too)
The sequence of events for obtaining a driver’s license in Japan.
The events vary in accordance with the choice of going to a driving school or taking a proficiency tests.
【The sequence of events given at a driving school…】
- Admission procedure, Orientation, Aptitude test, preparatory lecture
- 1st Practical skills training (12 hours for an automatic / 15 hours for a manual)
1st Academy training (10 hours) - Completion test, Learner’s permit written test
- 2nd Practical skills training (19 hours for either an automatic or a manual)
2nd Academy training (16 hours)
- Graduation exam
- Full driver’s license test
【The sequence of events on a proficiency test…】
*The list below is based on the criteria in Chiba prefecture. Please make sure the details with license bureaus in your resident area as they are differed regionally.
- Learner’s permit written test
- Lerner’s permit practical skills test
- Issuance of Lerner’s permit
- On-the-road driving lessons (at least 5 days / 2 hours a day roughly)
- Application for a Full driver‘s license tests
- Full driver’s license written test
- Full driver’s license practical skills test
- Acquisition Lessons
- Issuance of full driver’s license
What’s the specific level of the Japanese language to obtain a driver’s license?
You need ability to write and read in the first place because the Learner’s permit test is written in Japanese. You need to be able to have daily conversation to some degree such as up to N3 level of Japanese-Language Proficiency Test. As a matter of fact, a lot of people from aboard attempting to obtain a driver’s license is disrupted by Learner’s permit test. If you’re nervous or feel unsure about the test, the online preparation course we operate is highly recommended.
>>Click>>Details for the online preparation course
Some driving schools are corresponding to foreign language speakers
Currently, the number of driving schools corresponding to foreign language (ex. English, Chinese, Portuguese in general, Vietnamese, and Tagalog, too) are increasing according to demand. Therefore, if you don’t have confidence on your Japanese language, no worries!! If you’re in urgent need for obtaining a driver’s license in Japan, you can join the training camp for about 14 days. It would be better to check out whether a driving school you attempt to go is corresponded to your mother tongue in advance.
It is difficult to pass the proficiency test even for Japanese speaker.
With this article, we introduced the requirements and 2 Acquisition methods of Japanese driver’s license for people from aboard.
- Go to a driving school in Japan
- Pass a proficiency test at a driver’s license test center
However, as you already know, the acceptance rate for the proficiency test is only 5% among examinees and difficult to pass even for Japanese speakers. Thus, it is likely to go to a driving school for an innocuous choice.
