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How to get a driving licence in Japan

Getting a car licence from scratch, country by country.

Car licence, ordinary (futsū menkyo)

Getting your licence in Japan

Final written test questions95
Pass mark90/100 points
Time for the written test50 min
Written test fee, plus ¥2,350 to issue the licence¥1,900
Driving test (done at the driving school)In school fees
Driving test lengthNot published

Driving school usually costs ¥250,000–350,000 in total.

Before you start driving

2
Provisional licence (kari-menkyo)Required before you drive on public roads. At a designated driving school you first train on the school's closed course, then pass the provisional licence test.
Medical checkNo doctor's exam. You take an aptitude test instead: eyesight (at least 0.7 with both eyes and 0.3 in each eye, glasses allowed) and colour recognition (red, blue, yellow).

Required lessons

3
Driving lessons31 hours for an automatic (AT) licence, 34 hours for manual (MT), at a designated driving school.
Classroom lectures26 hours, split across the first (on-course) and second (on-road) stages.
Daily limitsAt most 2 hours of driving a day in the first stage and 3 hours in the second, so an intensive course takes about 2 weeks.

Good to know

8
Minimum age18 for a standard car licence.
Licence validityThe first licence lasts about 3 years. After that, 3 or 5 years, depending on your record and age.
Exam languagesIn Tokyo, the written tests are offered in 20 languages, including English. 5 of them (including English) are available every weekday; the rest on set days. Other prefectures offer fewer languages, so check locally.
If you failYou can retake the written test on another test day, paying the fee again each time.
Automatic or manualAn AT-only licence limits you to automatics. You can lift the limit later with extra training and a test at a driving school.
New driversFor the first year you must display the green-and-yellow beginner mark (shoshinsha mark) on your car.
Already have a licence from abroad?Licences from Japan's exemption list (most of Europe, Canada, Australia, South Korea and others) are converted with paperwork and an eye test. Others take a 50-question test (45 to pass) and a driving test at the licence centre. Since October 2025 you must be a registered resident. Tourists can't convert.
Also worth knowing
  • True/false questions are worded precisely. 'Always' and 'never' usually make a statement false.
  • The practical test for manual and automatic licences is different. An AT-only licence is common and easier.

Step by step

  1. Enrol at a designated driving schoolMost learners choose one, because graduating exempts you from the practical test at the licence centre.
  2. Provisional licence testAt the school: 50 true/false questions, 90% to pass, plus an on-course driving check.
  3. On-road lessons and graduation testLessons on public roads, then the school's final driving test.
  4. Final written test at the licence centre95 questions: 90 true/false (1 point) and 5 illustration questions (2 points). Score 90 or more, plus the aptitude test.

Tips From driving schools and examiners

  • The driving school's graduation test starts you on 100 points, and you need 70 left at the end. Most mistakes cost 5, 10 or 20 points. About 4 in 5 pass.
  • Make your safety checks visible: turn your head, not just your eyes. The examiner can only mark what they see.
  • Stop firmly at stop lines. Stopping more than 2 metres short costs points, and not stopping at a stop sign or railway crossing ends the test.
  • Other errors that end the test: running a red or amber light, reversing 1 metre or more where you should go forward, and the examiner having to brake.
  • Ask your instructor about your own bad habits, and learn the technique for the crank (a tight zigzag), the S-bend and parallel parking rather than just repeating them.
  • After a small mistake, stay calm and carry on. Panic leads to bigger errors.

Based on: Daily Sports / maidona news: Graduation test scoring and pass rates (National Police Agency data, 2024, Japanese) ↗

Official links

Kanagawa Prefectural Police: Licence centre test guide (PDF) ↗JAF: Japan Automobile Federation ↗Last checked 20 Oct 2026
Wrong information? Help us fix itTell us what's incorrect and we'll check it against the official sources.

About: This page

Frequently asked questionsCoverage, sources and how RoadVisa works.

Why isn't my country listed?

RoadVisa is still growing. It covers 42 countries and all 50 US states plus Washington, D.C. so far, and more are added step by step. Each country is checked against its own official sources, in its own language, before it goes live.

Why isn't Africa covered?

Many African licensing authorities publish little detail about their driving rules online, so we can't yet check the answers against official sources. We'll add African countries as official information becomes available.

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What's the difference between Visiting and Moving?

Visiting covers short stays such as holidays and business trips, when you keep your home licence. Moving covers becoming a resident, when most countries want you to exchange your licence or take tests by a deadline.

What is an International Driving Permit?

A translation of your licence in a standard format. It's only valid together with your own licence, and you get it in the country that issued your licence, usually from a motoring club or the licensing authority. RoadVisa tells you when a country expects one.

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Not yet. The answers are about car licences: category B in Europe, and the local equivalent elsewhere, such as Class C or D in most US states. Other licences may follow later.

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