To drive in Japan, you must possess a valid Japanese or international driver’s license or equivalent.
For an international driver’s license to be valid in Japan, it must have been issued by an administrative office of a member country of the Geneva Convention.
The international driver’s license expires on its expiration date or after you have been in Japan for a year, whichever comes first. If you wish to continue driving, you must exchange the overseas driver’s license for a Japanese driver’s license before it expires.
If you have a valid driver’s license issued in Italy, Switzerland, Germany, France, Belgium or Taiwan and a translation into Japanese is attached, it is valid regardless of possession of an international driver’s license for one year from your date of entry into Japan.
If you have a valid overseas driver’s license and lived in the country in which it was issued for at least three months after the date of issue, you can apply to exchange it for a Japanese license at the Sapporo Driver’s License Examination Center.
After passing an aptitude test, a written test and a driving test must also be taken; exemptions may apply for licenses issued in certain countries.
Items necessary:
Your alien registration card or Certified Copy of Alien Registration
(residence certificate with your domicile stated if you are a Japanese national)A Japanese translation of your overseas driver’s license can be prepared by your country’s embassy or consulate or by the Japan Automobile Federation (JAF). The JAF also issues books on traffic rules in Japan in five languages (English/Spanish/Portuguese/Chinese/Korean).