Ordinary Japanese domestics driver's license issued by public safety commissions in Japan.

Only the IDP issued under the Geneva Convention is ratified by Japanese Government. Note that the customer should present the holder's passport simultaneously.

• Validity of the License

  IDP is valid for one (1) year from the date of an issue. The validity for driving a car in Japan is one (1) year from the date of entry into Japan, confirmed by the immigration stamp in the passport. There is no renewal system. If you would like to obtain the IDP again, you need to apply for a new one after returning the previous one.

• Countries where IDP is valid

  a) Signatories of the Geneva Convention (*China is a non-signatory.)

  Asia
  The Philippines	India	Thailand
  Bangladesh	Malaysia	Singapore
  Sri Lanka	Cambodia	Laos
  South Korea	Hong Kong	Macao

  The Middle East
  Turkey	Israel	Syria
  Cyprus	Jordan	Lebanon
  United Arab Emirates

  Oceania
  New Zealand	Fiji	Australia
  Papua New Guinea

  Africa
  Niger	Rwanda	Senegal
  Sierra Leone	Togo	Tunisia
  Uganda	Zimbabwe	Namibia
  South Africa	Central Africa	Egypt
  Ghana	Algeria	Morocco
  Botswana	D.R. Congo	Congo
  Benin	Cote d'Ivoire	Lesotho
  Madagascar	Malawi	Mali

  Europe
  Albania	Luxembourg	Monaco
  San Marino	Vatican	Kirgiz
  The Republic of Georgia	Czech Republic	Slovakia
  Britain	Greece	Norway
  Denmark	Sweden	The Netherlands
  France	Italy	Russia
  Serb	Montenegro	Spain
  Finland	Portugal	Austria
  Poland	Ireland	Hungary
  Romania	Iceland	Bulgaria
  Malta

  America
  The United States	Canada	Peru
  Cuba	Ecuador	Argentina
  Chile	Paraguay	Barbados
  The Dominican Republic	Guatemala	Haiti
  Trinidad & Tobago	Venezuela	Jamaica

  b) Under a bilateral convention

  Persons who hold a driver's license issued by Germany, France, Switzerland, Italy, Belgium or Taiwan and who also possess a Japanese translation of the driver's license issued by an embassy or consulate in Japan or by the Japan Automobile Federation (JAF) (or by the JAF or East Asia Relations Commission in the case of Taiwan) are permitted to drive in Japan, pursuant to the following restrictions.

  Said persons must not have resided in Japan for more than one year consecutively; the driver's license of the issuing country must be valid; said persons must possess a Japanese residence card or a certificate of alien registration; and holders of a certificate of alien registration must have spent at least three consecutive months overseas prior to their current entry into Japan.

Note that the customer should present the Japanese translation of the foreign driver's license and the holder's passport simultaneously. The Japanese translation of a driver's license is issued by the Embassy and consulate in Japan or JAF based on the application filed by the applicant. Although the validity of the foregoing foreign driver's license does not expire, the validity for driving a car in Japan is confirmed by the immigration stamp in the passport showing the date of entry into Japan.

• Passengers taking driver's seat and front passenger seat should wear their seatbelts at all times.

• Use of a mobile phone is prohibited while driving a car.

• The law requires you to drive on the left side of the road in Japan.

• Keeping a safe distance from the car ahead.

• After entering a gas station and pulling up next to a pump, pull the gas cap opening lever so that the attendant can fuel your car.

• Park only in parking areas. Illegal parking is punishable by law.

Signs above are important for your drive in Japan

Be sure to park your car in the parking area when you are leaving the car. In addition to the police, private contractors can also charge drivers with parking violation.

Never park your car in any place other than a parking area. When you leave your car even for a short time, your car will be regarded as an illegally parked car.

• Road near intersection and inside intersection.

• Pedestrian crossing and bicycle crossing zone.

• Area near bus stop and entrance for vehicles, fire hydrant, fire-fighting water tank, fire alarm, etc

• Charge you Illegal Parking Fee of 25,000 yen for ordinary-sized cars and 30,000 yen for medium-and large-sized cars designated by our company.

• If you fail to complete the formalities or pay the Illegal Parking Fee, we will report you to the police, Public Safety Commission, and Rent-a-Car Association; any requests from you for rental cars will be refused from all of our branches in Japan.

• If you go to the police after returning the car, pay the penalty, and present the Illegal Parking Sticker and receipt to us, we will refund the Illegal Parking Fee.

If you receive a parking ticket, report to the nearest police and contact to the shop.

• The 4th and 5th Paragraphs of Article 51-4, Road Traffic Law

  Fine for Illegal Parking
  In the event that a driver of illegally parked vehicle does not pay a citation, the user of the vehicle will be ordered to pay a fine for illegal parking. The driver/user will not be ordered to pay it in the following cases within 30 days after he/she receives a parking ticket:

  • The driver/user of illegally parked vehicle has paid a citation.

  • The illegal parking is prosecuted. (For juveniles, it is tried at a family court.)

  The driver should normally be responsible for illegal parking. In the event that it is impossible to pursue driver's legal responsibility, the user shall be responsible for it.

  (Note) User is normally a person listed as a user in the vehicle inspection certificate.

  Demand for Payment of Fine for Illegal Parking and Coercive Collection
  If the person who was ordered to pay a fine for illegal parking does not pay it even after the payment is overdue, he/she will be urged to pay with a collection letter. If the person who was urged to pay a fine for illegal parking does not pay it within the specified time, the payment may be collected on a mandatory basis.

• Article 51-8 to 51-11, Road Traffic Law

  To check illegally parked cars and put parking tickets on them can be consigned to private sectors. This has led private traffic wardens to patrol the streets and put parking tickets on illegally parked cars. Traffic wardens patrol in accordance with a guideline in which the police chief provides places and times to be intensively controlled based on residents' intentions and demands.

  The guideline is released in advance e.g. posting on a bulletin board of the police station.