Japanese media has been reporting lately on a rash of foreign visitors to Japan – mainly Chinese drivers – getting driver’s licenses despite having no permanent residential address. This week, Japan’s government responded to the outcry, saying that, frankly, it doesn’t see the problem.
Most travelers to Japan can get an international driver’s license in their home country before arriving here. However, travelers from countries that aren’t party to the 1949 Geneva Convention pertaining to international driving – like China – don’t have that option.
As we reported last year, Chinese and other travelers have been working around this by asking the hotels where they’re staying to fill out a Temporary Leave Permit on their behalf. They then specify the hotel as their “address” for licensing purposes. From there, getting a license is a matter of showing their home license and passing a simple 10-question test, which is available in 23 different languages.
The Japanese driver’s license gives Chinese drivers more than access to Japan’s roads. Since Japan is a signatory to the 1949 Geneva Convention, it means they can obtain international driver’s licenses for over 100 countries.
As a result, the number of license exchanges in Japan has boomed. According to Sankei Shimbun, exchanges have climbed by 2.3x in the past 10 years, crossing 60,000 a year for the first time in 2023.
“Unaware” of any issues
Some in Japan – particularly on the political right – have been up in arms about this. The system was originally intended to help resident foreigners obtain a license easily. Doling out licenses to non-residents, critics say, will make it harder to sue and claim damages if one of them causes an accident.
According to Sankei Shimbun, Takegami Yuko, who represents Japan’s Conservative Party, filed an opinion with the government, arguing that allowing tourists to use this system is a loophole that should be closed. The filing also expressed concern that unskilled drivers would cause accidents in other countries while using Japanese international driver’s licenses, thus undermining trust in Japanese drivers.
However, the government, led by the conservative Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), didn’t agree. It responded to Takegami’s letter by noting that all tourists securing licenses are already licensed in their home countries and thus qualified to drive.
The government further specified it was “unaware” of a difference in accident rates between regular drivers and license exchange drivers, or of any problems pursuing non-resident drivers for accident damages.
Personally, I’m of two minds. On the surface, it does feel like an abuse of the existing system. On the other hand, from a safety standpoint, it’s no more or less risky than a licensed driver obtaining an international permit.
Tourists already cause more accidents in Japan than citizens or foreign residents. So you could argue closing this loophole would increase road safety. However, this issue feels driven less by facts and more by simple racism towards Chinese people.
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