Before you drive

213 questions

• If the police station chief with jurisdiction over the departure point grants permission and designates a loading spot, you may carry the load in that designated spot even though it is not a place built for loading.
• A truck driver may freely carry people on the cargo bed whenever necessary, without any permission from the police.
• Even when a cargo truck is carrying freight, it is never permitted to carry any person on the cargo bed.
• You must not drive with a load arranged so that the turn signals, licence plate, or brake lights cannot be seen from outside the vehicle.
• Passengers themselves must not ride in a way that would put the driver in breach of the rules on how people and loads may be carried.
• Even a person who is not the vehicle's employer or operator must not ask a driver to drive with an overloaded vehicle.
• Selling or handing over cargo to a driver is not prohibited, even if you know it will make the vehicle overloaded.
• When driving a vehicle, you must not carry more passengers or load cargo beyond the legal limits on number of passengers, weight, size, and loading method.
• The limits on the number of riders and on loading for light vehicles (keisharyo, e.g. bicycles and hand carts) are set uniformly nationwide by government ordinance.
• If a load cannot be divided and therefore exceeds the limit, you may drive with the excess load within the scope of a permit granted by the police station chief at your point of departure.
• Under no circumstances may you drive with people riding in the cargo bed of a truck beyond the passenger limit.
• Driving while your licence is suspended also counts as a violation of the ban on unlicensed driving.
• A general motorized bicycle (moped) can be ridden without any driver's licence.
• You must not lend or provide your vehicle to someone who is likely to drive it without a licence.
• Even if you know the driver has no licence, simply asking them to drive you and riding along is not prohibited.
• For the ban on riding in a vehicle driven by an unlicensed person, vehicles used for passenger transport business while on duty and certain others are excluded.
• You must not drive a vehicle when fatigue, illness, or a similar reason makes it likely that you cannot drive normally.
• The rule banning driving while unfit (due to fatigue and similar causes) applies only to professional drivers such as bus and truck drivers, not to people driving their own private cars.
• No person whatsoever may drive a vehicle with any alcohol in their body.
• Lending a vehicle to someone who has been drinking is not prohibited, because whether to drive is that person's own decision.
• You must not serve alcohol to, or encourage drinking by, a person who is likely to drive afterwards.
• Even if you know the driver has been drinking, simply riding as a passenger in that car is not prohibited.
• Anyone who intends to drive a motor vehicle or a general motorized bicycle (moped) must obtain a driver's license from the Public Safety Commission.
• Driver's licenses are divided into only two categories: Class 1 and Class 2.
• Class 1 licenses are divided into ten types in total.
• Class 2 licenses are divided into seven types in total.
• Provisional (karimen) licenses are divided into four types: large, medium, semi-medium, and standard.
• When it is deemed necessary for traffic safety, the Public Safety Commission may attach conditions to a licence — such as limiting the types of vehicles the holder may drive — based on that person's physical condition or driving ability.
• Once a condition has been attached to a driving licence, it can never be changed afterwards.
• To drive a passenger vehicle for a commercial passenger transport business (such as a taxi or bus carrying fare-paying passengers), you need a Class 2 license matching that vehicle type.
• A Medium-size Class 2 license is enough to drive a large vehicle for carrying fare-paying passengers.
• A holder of an Ordinary Class 2 license may drive a medium-size passenger vehicle to carry fare-paying passengers.
• When towing a passenger trailer to carry fare-paying passengers, holding only the Towing Class 2 license is enough; no license is needed for the towing vehicle itself.
• A holder of a Large Class 2 or Medium-size Class 2 license may drive a substitute-driving ordinary vehicle.
• A Japanese driver's license shows the license number, the license categories, and the last day of its validity period.
• If a condition (such as "must wear glasses") is attached to or changed on a license, that condition is written on the license card.
• A licensed driver must carry the driver's license for the vehicle they are driving whenever they drive.
• If a police officer asks to see your license while you are driving, it is enough to say that you have it with you; you do not have to show it.
• A provisional licence (karimen) is valid for 6 months, counted from the day you took the aptitude test.
• When practising with a provisional licence, you only need to display the practice sign on the front of the car.
• If the supervisor sitting beside you during provisional-licence practice holds a Class 1 licence, that person must have held the licence for a total of 3 years or more.
• A 20-year-old who holds a Class 2 licence may sit beside you as the supervisor during provisional-licence practice.
• A provisional licence holder may not drive a passenger vehicle for the purpose of carrying fare-paying passengers in a passenger transport business.
• A provisional licence holder is allowed to drive a daiko-unten vehicle (a customer's own car driven home for them by a paid substitute-driver service).
• With an ordinary provisional licence, the only vehicle you may drive for practice or for the test is an ordinary vehicle.
• A holder of a medium-vehicle provisional licence may drive a large vehicle for practice.
• If you obtain a full ordinary licence before your ordinary provisional licence expires, the provisional licence loses its effect.
• You cannot obtain a standard (futsu) driver's license until you are 18 years old.
• You must be 18 years old to obtain a moped (gentsuki) license.
• As a rule, you must be 21 years old to obtain a large vehicle (ogata) license.
• The medium vehicle (chugata) license normally requires age 20, but a person who meets set conditions may obtain it at 19.
• You must be 18 years old to obtain a standard provisional (karimen) license.
• As a rule, you must be 21 years old to obtain a large vehicle provisional license.
• The medium vehicle provisional license can be obtained from age 18.
• A person who already holds a license may obtain a second license of the very same category.
• If any of the details printed on your driver's license change, it is fine to report them all together at your next license renewal.
• If you move to an address that falls under a different Public Safety Commission, you must report the change to the Commission covering your new address.
• A person who wants to drive a large vehicle must hold a large vehicle licence.
• If you hold an ordinary (standard) licence, you may also drive small special-purpose vehicles and general motorized bicycles (mopeds).
• A large vehicle licence also allows you to drive medium, semi-medium and ordinary vehicles.
• A semi-medium vehicle licence allows you to drive a medium vehicle.
• A large special-purpose vehicle licence also allows you to drive an ordinary car.
• A large motorcycle licence also allows you to ride an ordinary motorcycle.
• An ordinary motorcycle licence allows you to ride a large motorcycle.
• To tow a heavy trailer you only need a towing licence; a licence for the towing vehicle itself is not required.
• Even with a large vehicle licence, a person under 21, or with less than 3 years of total licensed experience, may not drive certain designated large vehicles.
• A holder of a medium vehicle licence may drive any medium vehicle without restriction even if under 21.
• A semi-medium licence holder with less than 2 years of total licensed experience may not drive certain designated ordinary vehicles.
• A large motorcycle licence holder with less than 2 years of total motorcycle-licence experience may not ride certain designated large or ordinary motorcycles.
• A Class 1 licence does not allow you to drive a passenger vehicle for the purpose of carrying fare-paying passengers in a passenger transport business.
• An ordinary licence allows you to drive a customer's car as a paid substitute (daiko) driver.
• A driver's license loses its validity if the holder fails to renew it.
• If you hold both a physical driver's license card and a My Number card with license information recorded on it, your license expires as soon as you fail to renew just one of them.
• A person who holds an International Driving Permit must carry that permit with them whenever they drive a vehicle in Japan.
• As long as you are carrying your International Driving Permit while driving, you have no duty to show it to a police officer who asks to see it.
• For an excellent-record or ordinary driver who is under 70 on the renewal date, the licence is valid until one month after their 5th birthday following the expiry date.
• For an excellent-record or ordinary driver who is exactly 70 on the renewal date, the licence is valid until one month after their 3rd birthday following the expiry date.
• For an excellent-record or ordinary driver aged 71 or older on the renewal date, the licence is valid until one month after their 3rd birthday following the expiry date.
• For a driver classed as a violator, the licence is valid until one month after the 3rd birthday following the expiry date, regardless of age.
• To be classed as an excellent-record driver, you must have held a licence continuously for at least 3 years up to the renewal date.
• An "ordinary driver" is a person who is neither an excellent-record driver nor a violator.
• A person who has held a licence continuously for less than 5 years is treated as a violator (i.e. gets the shortest validity period).
• If the last day of the validity period falls on a Sunday or another holiday, the previous day is treated as the last day.
• For someone born on 29 February, the birthday is treated as 28 February in non-leap years when calculating the validity period.
• When you renew your licence after the birthday just before the expiry date, the new validity period is counted from the day you renewed it.
• If the renewal date falls exactly on the person's birthday, the "renewal date" is read as "the day before the renewal date" when calculating the validity period.
• For a person who held both a driving licence card and a My Number card with licence information recorded, the reference date is whichever of the two expiry dates comes EARLIER.
• If your driver's license is revoked, you must promptly return the license card to the public safety commission that has jurisdiction over your address.
• If you lose your license, get a replacement, and later find the old card, you do not have to hand the old card in.
• The license card must be returned to the public safety commission that has jurisdiction over the place where you live.
• When your license is suspended, you may simply keep the card yourself until the suspension ends; there is no need to submit it.
• If your license simply reaches the end of its validity period, you do not need to hand the card in.
• Once the suspension period ends and the person who submitted the card asks for it back, the public safety commission must return it immediately.
• A person holding an International Driving Permit or a qualifying foreign driver's license may drive the vehicles covered by that license for one year, counted from the day they entered Japan.
• With an International Driving Permit or a qualifying foreign license, you may also drive passenger vehicles commercially, such as a taxi or a bus, to carry fare-paying passengers.
• Even with an International Driving Permit or a qualifying foreign license, you may not drive as a substitute (daiko) driver in a customer's car.
• To drive in Japan on a foreign driver's license, it must come with a Japanese translation prepared by a designated organization.
• An International Driving Permit can be used to drive in Japan as long as it was issued abroad, even if it does not match the format set out in the treaty annexes.
• If a person registered in Japan's resident register leaves the country and returns within less than three months, that return does not count as a new entry for starting the one-year period.
• On a moped (gentsuki), only the rider may be on board — carrying a passenger is not allowed.
• A moped fitted with a cargo carrier may carry a load of up to 50 kilograms.
• The height of cargo on a moped is limited to 2 meters minus the height of the surface it is loaded on.
• Cargo on a moped may stick out up to 0.3 meters beyond the left and right sides of the carrier.
• A large or ordinary motorcycle without a sidecar that has a passenger seat may carry up to 2 people.
• A large or ordinary motorcycle equipped with a seat or a carrier may load cargo weighing up to 30 kg.
• When an ordinary motorcycle whose engine size is at or below the prescribed limit tows a riyakā (a two-wheeled cart trailer), the riyakā may carry up to 120 kg of cargo.
• A minicar (mini-kā, a tiny four-wheeled 50 cc-class vehicle that is legally treated as a car) fitted with a cargo carrier may load up to 120 kg.
• A small special-purpose vehicle equipped with a cargo area may load up to 700 kg.
• Cargo on a car may be as long as the vehicle's length plus 3/10 of that length.
• On a large or ordinary motorcycle, cargo width may be the width of the seat or carrier plus 0.3 m.
• The height of cargo on a car is, as a rule, based on 4.1 m from the ground.
• For vehicles designated by the Public Safety Commission as causing no problem given road and traffic conditions, the height standard may be set between 3.8 m and 4.1 m.
• Cargo loaded on a car may stick out up to 2/10 of the car's length beyond each of the front and the rear of the body.
• Cargo loaded on a car may stick out up to 1/10 of the car's width beyond each of the left and right sides of the body.
• On a large or ordinary motorcycle, cargo may stick out up to 0.3 metres beyond each of the left and right sides of the seat or the carrier.
• For three-wheeled ordinary cars, the cargo height standard is 2.5 m.
• A person who currently holds an ordinary motorcycle licence and has held it for a total of three years or more is among those permitted to carry a passenger on a large motorcycle or similar vehicle.
• When counting the "past licence period", any period during which the licence was suspended is also included.
• One of the exceptions allowing two-up riding on a large motorcycle on an expressway requires that the rider held a large or ordinary motorcycle licence within one year before the day they obtained their current large motorcycle licence.
• For a foreign licence, the "foreign licence period" counted here means only the part of the licence-holding period during which the person was staying in that foreign country or region.
• The licence-holding period required to carry a passenger on a large motorcycle is three years or more in total on expressways, but one year or more is enough on ordinary roads.
• To carry a passenger on an ordinary motorcycle on an ordinary road, you must have held the licence for a total of five years or more.
• Even if the past licence period alone is under three years, the condition is met when it is combined with the period of the current ordinary motorcycle licence to reach three years or more.
• A person who obtained a large-vehicle licence under the special provision for Self-Defense Force personnel and is under 21 may not drive large vehicles, except Self-Defense Force vehicles driven by SDF personnel.
• Among people who hold a medium-vehicle licence, the ones who may not drive certain medium vehicles are those under 22 years of age.
• The driving restriction on semi-medium vehicles used for emergency duties has an exception: it excludes vehicles driven by a person who has passed the examination held by the public safety commission for driving on emergency duties.
• The restriction on large vehicles used for emergency duties also applies to Self-Defense Force vehicles driven by SDF personnel.
• When a person with a provisional (learner's) licence drives, a driving instructor who is engaged in practical driving instruction may ride along and supervise them.
• A driving instructor may supervise a provisional licence holder from the passenger seat even while their own driving licence is suspended.
• Members of Japan's Self-Defense Forces are among the people who may obtain a large-vehicle licence (or a large-vehicle provisional licence) from the age of 19.
• Only Self-Defense Forces members may obtain a large-vehicle licence from age 19; people who have completed the designated aptitude training course for driving large vehicles are not included.
• A member of Japan's Self-Defense Forces may obtain a medium-size vehicle licence (including the provisional one) from age 19.
• Among ordinary vehicles that count as a "specified ordinary vehicle", those powered by an internal combustion engine are limited to a total displacement of 1.000 litres or less.
• Under the standards for a motorcycle helmet, a weight of 3 kilograms or less is acceptable.
• A motorcycle helmet must have a chin strap that keeps it from coming off easily on impact.
• Practice driving with a provisional (learner's) licence may not be done on expressways or motor-vehicle-only roads.
• Even on a road judged unsuitable for practice, such as one with very heavy traffic, provisional-licence practice driving is allowed.
• A person aiming for a large-vehicle licence practises using a medium-sized vehicle.
• A person aiming for a Class 2 large-vehicle licence practises in a bus-type large vehicle with a seating capacity of 20 or more.
• A person aiming for a Class 2 medium-vehicle licence practises in a bus-type medium vehicle seating 11 to 29 people.
• Practice for a Class 2 ordinary licence includes making a safe U-turn.
• When driving a car or moped on the road, you must hold the licence that matches the vehicle type and carry the licence with you.
• While your licence is under suspension, you may still drive because you technically still hold the licence.
• A Class 2 licence is required to drive a passenger vehicle such as a route bus or taxi for the purpose of carrying fare-paying passengers.
• A substitute (daiko) driver who drives the customer's ordinary car on the customer's behalf only needs a Class 1 licence.
• When practising with a provisional licence, it is enough to have someone beside you who has held the relevant Class 1 licence for at least one year.
• When practising with a provisional licence, the provisional-practice plate must be attached to both the front and rear of the vehicle in the prescribed positions.
• An ordinary (futsu) licence allows you to drive not only ordinary cars but also small special-purpose vehicles and general motorized bicycles (mopeds).
• A semi-medium (jun-chugata) licence also allows you to drive medium-size vehicles.
• A large motorcycle licence also allows you to ride ordinary (mid-size) motorcycles.
• You always need a towing licence, even when towing a vehicle whose gross weight is 750 kg or less.
• A towing licence is required when towing a broken-down vehicle with a rope or crane.
• To drive an emergency vehicle you need, in addition to the licence for that vehicle, special qualifications regarding years of driving experience and age.
• Before driving, you must check that the valid vehicle inspection certificate and the compulsory automobile liability insurance (or mutual aid) certificate are kept in the car.
• If you have held a semi-medium-size licence for less than one year, you must display the beginner mark at the set positions on the front and rear when you drive a semi-medium-size vehicle.
• Even if you have held an ordinary licence for less than one year, you do not need to display the beginner mark when you drive an ordinary vehicle.
• The hearing-impaired mark applies to drivers whose licence carries a condition because their hearing in both ears is so impaired that, even with a hearing aid, they cannot hear a 90-decibel horn from a distance of 10 metres.
• It is drivers aged 75 or over who should display the older-driver mark when driving an ordinary vehicle.
• If your licence carries a condition because of a physical disability of the limbs, you should display the physically-disabled mark at the set positions on the front and rear of the ordinary vehicle you drive.
• You only need to plan your drive for long trips; no plan is needed for short distances.
• When driving for long periods, you should take a rest at least once every two hours.
• If you feel sleepy while driving, it is better to keep going without stopping until you reach your destination.
• You should not drive after taking cold or headache medicine that causes drowsiness, and you must not drive when you are overtired.
• If you drank alcohol the night before, the effects are gone by the next morning, so you may drive.
• The daily inspection (nichijo tenken) is carried out by the vehicle's user or the person about to drive it, on their own responsibility.
• Operators of business-use vehicles such as taxis and hire cars must carry out the daily inspection once a day, before starting operation.
• Every vehicle user, without exception, must perform the daily inspection once a day before driving.
• A privately owned ordinary passenger car must undergo a periodic inspection once a year, with any necessary servicing carried out.
• Business-use vehicles and privately owned large vehicles only need a periodic inspection every six months.
• Emergency signalling equipment such as a flare or red lamp must be carried in the vehicle.
• You are told to carry a stop indicator device (warning triangle) when driving on ordinary roads.
• You must not drive a vehicle whose muffler is not properly maintained and which may emit loud noise or harmful exhaust gases.
• If the brake pedal feels soft when pressed, the cause is said to be insufficient tyre pressure.
• If the coolant level has dropped noticeably, there may be a leak from the radiator or radiator hoses.
• A fan belt is in correct condition when pressing its centre by hand produces no give at all.
• Tyre tread depth is checked using the wear indicators, also known as slip signs.
• The wheel-mounting check (for loose wheel nuts, etc.) is required for vehicles with a gross weight of 5 tonnes or more.
• The air pressure gauge and brake valve must be inspected on vehicles fitted with air brakes.
• The seating capacity of a vehicle includes the driver.
• When counting passengers, three children under 12 years old count as two adults.
• On a general moped, cargo may stick out up to 0.3 metres beyond each of the left and right sides of the carrier.
• You may carry the minimum number of people needed to watch over the cargo, even on the cargo bed.
• To exceed the loading limits, you need permission from the police station chief at your destination.
• It is acceptable to load cargo in a way that makes the brake lights or license plate hard to see from outside.
• If cargo falls off or scatters onto the road, you must promptly remove it and take other necessary measures.
• When transporting dangerous goods, there is no need to display a sign showing that dangerous goods are being carried.
• As your driving speed increases, your eyesight gets worse, and nearby objects in particular become harder to see.
• Fatigue affects the eyes most strongly, and as you get more tired you overlook or misjudge things more often.
• Because eyesight is unaffected by sudden changes in brightness, there is no need to slow down when entering or leaving a tunnel.
• On a wet asphalt road surface, friction is reduced, so the braking distance becomes longer.
• Braking hard at high speed will never cause the wheels to lock and the car to slide along the road.
• The larger the radius of a curve, the greater the centrifugal force acting on the car.
• To take a curve safely, brake early on the straight section before the curve and slow down enough before entering it.
• If cargo is loaded badly so the center of gravity becomes high or off to one side, the vehicle tips over more easily.
• Crashing into a concrete wall at 60 km/h produces roughly the same impact as falling from about 14 meters, the height of a 5-story building.
• If your speed doubles, the braking distance and the impact force also double.
• The impact force in a collision depends only on speed and has nothing to do with the vehicle's weight.
• Although exhaust gas contains harmful substances such as carbon monoxide, it is not a cause of air pollution.
• A "mini-car" is an ordinary motor vehicle with an engine of 50 cc or less total displacement and a rated output of 0.60 kW or less.
• A farm chemical spraying vehicle of the specified type is defined as one structurally unable to exceed 50 km/h.
• You must not lend or hand over your car even to a person who holds a driver’s licence.
• A person who may be unable to drive normally because of fatigue or illness must not even ride as a passenger.
• You must not serve alcohol to, or encourage drinking by, a person who has no plan to drive either.
• The load hid my brake lights from view, but it was only a short trip, so I drove on as it was.
• The load was slightly over the legal limit, but I thought it would be fine and drove with it as it was.
• I felt unwell and might not have been able to drive normally, so I stopped driving and rested.
• I thought a small amount would be fine, so I drove after drinking alcohol.
• I knew they were about to drive, but they pressed me for it, so I offered them a drink.
• As a passenger I knew that the driver would be breaking the loading rules, but I got in anyway.
• I had a lot to move, so I asked a driver I know to drive with an overloaded vehicle.
• I knew they had no licence, but they asked, so I lent my car to a friend.
• I held only an ordinary licence, but I drove a small special-purpose vehicle.
• I drove with the minimum number of people needed to watch the load riding on the load bed.