Checked against the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department’s official English and Japanese guidance on 30 October 2026. The list of countries using a translation instead of a permit has changed before, so confirm it again before your trip if you’re renting a car.

For most visitors, driving in Japan starts with one simple step: get an International Driving Permit (IDP) from your home country’s automobile association before you fly out, and bring it along with your regular license. That covers the large majority of travelers without any trouble. The part worth knowing in advance is that “international driving permit” isn’t one single document worldwide — Japan only accepts the version issued under a specific treaty, and if your license comes from one of six places, the IDP route doesn’t apply to you at all.

Japan recognizes the 1949 Geneva Convention permit, not the 1968 Vienna one

There are two international treaties that produce something called an “International Driving Permit,” and they look similar but aren’t interchangeable. Most English-speaking countries — the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, South Korea, and others — issue permits under the 1949 Geneva Convention on Road Traffic, and that’s the format Japan’s Road Traffic Act accepts. A newer version exists under the 1968 Vienna Convention, used in much of continental Europe and Latin America, and Japan does not recognize that one. If your home country only issues the Vienna-style permit, carrying it to Japan won’t let you drive — it simply isn’t the document Japanese law asks for.

Six places don’t issue the 1949-style permit at all — and that’s not a problem if you know it first

Switzerland, Germany, France, Belgium, Monaco, and Taiwan are handled differently again: according to the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, these six are allowed to drive in Japan using their home license together with an official Japanese translation of it, rather than any form of International Driving Permit. This isn’t a workaround or a downgrade — it’s the actual legal route for a license from these places, and it works reliably once you know to ask for it instead of an IDP.

Eligibility comes first: who can issue the translation, and that it must stay with the original

The translation itself has to come from a specific, limited list of issuers — not just any translator. The police department names the license-issuing agency or your country’s embassy or consulate in Japan, the Japan Automobile Federation (JAF), the Taiwan-Japan Relations Association for Taiwanese licenses, Germany’s ADAC for German licenses, or a couple of other designated bodies. A translation from anyone outside that list isn’t valid, so it’s worth arranging this before departure rather than discovering the gap at a rental counter. Once you have it, you must carry the translation together with your original home license at all times — one without the other doesn’t satisfy the requirement.

Both routes expire the same way: about one year, tied to your arrival date

Whether you’re using a 1949 Geneva IDP or the translation route, the clock works the same way: you can drive for up to one year from the date you landed in Japan, or until your underlying home license or permit expires, whichever comes first. After that year, neither document lets you drive again without first leaving Japan for a continuous stretch (generally three months or more) before re-entering, or converting to a Japanese license if you’re staying longer term.

What to actually do before you go

Check which of the two routes applies to your license before you travel, not after you’ve landed. If your home country issues 1949 Geneva Convention permits, apply for one through your national automobile association ahead of time — it’s generally quick and inexpensive. If your license is from Switzerland, Germany, France, Belgium, Monaco, or Taiwan, arrange the Japanese translation instead, through JAF, your country’s embassy or consulate in Japan, or the other designated issuers, and keep it with your original license for the whole trip. Either way, rental counters in Japan will check this document before handing over keys, so having it sorted in advance avoids a wasted trip to the counter.

How Travel AI Rescue helps

Travel AI Rescue keeps Japan’s police non-emergency and emergency numbers one tap away, with the country code already attached, in case a rental counter or checkpoint asks questions you don’t have the vocabulary for. It can show a Japanese-language card explaining your situation — “I’m driving on an International Driving Permit” or “my license has an attached Japanese translation” — so staff can see at a glance what document you’re presenting. And above all, it keeps a photo of your permit, translation, and home license stored and readable on the device, so you can pull them up even without a signal on a rural drive. It works differently from a staffed consulate desk, and it’s with you around the clock. (Issuing the permit or translation itself is handled by JAF, your embassy, or the other designated bodies listed above.)

Sources

• Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, “外国の運転免許をお持ちの方へ” (For holders of foreign driving licenses). https://www.keishicho.metro.tokyo.lg.jp/menkyo/menkyo/kokugai/gaikokumenkyo.html (accessed 30 October 2026).
• Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) Resource Center, “Driving in Japan with a Foreign License.” https://www.oist.jp/resource-center/driving (accessed 30 October 2026).