Converting your foreign driver’s license into a Japanese license is about to become more challenging. Starting October 2025, the written exam for gaimen kirikae (外免切替) will expand from 10 simple true/false questions into a 50-question test. The passing score will also increase from 70% to 90%, meaning you’ll need to answer at least 45 questions correctly to pass.
Don’t worry though, we got your back. In this guide I will briefly explain what is changing, provide some general study tips and provide you with 10 realistic practice questions so you get a better idea of what you will be facing.
What’s Changing in October 2025
- 50 questions instead of 10
- Passing score: 90% (45/50 needed)
- Broader scope — now covering up to 22 topics, including safe driving practices, emergency responses, highway rules, and vehicle maintenance.
- More text-based, scenario questions replacing the old illustration-only style (though traffic sign recognition remains).
How to Use These Practice Questions
The following are sample questions adapted from actual Japanese traffic law materials and past exam references, updated to reflect the true/false style of the upcoming exam. Each question includes an explanation so you can understand not only the correct answer, but why.
Practice Questions
When adjusting the driver’s seat in a manual transmission car, the correct driving position is one where your knee remains slightly bent when pressing the clutch pedal all the way down.
Answer: True
Explanation: If the leg is fully stretched, you lose fine control and stability. A slightly bent knee allows for smoother clutch operation and reduces fatigue.
Stopping for less than five minutes to load or unload cargo counts as “parking” under Japanese traffic law.
Answer: False
Explanation: A stop of up to five minutes for loading/unloading is classified as “temporary stopping” (停車), not parking (駐車).
When passing an oncoming car on a narrow road where one side is obstructed, the driver with an obstacle in their lane must stop and give way.
Answer: True
Explanation: The vehicle with a clear lane has right of way. Drivers whose lane has an obstruction must yield for safety and smoother flow of traffic.
When towing another vehicle on public roads, a “towing license” is required in all cases.
Answer: False
Explanation: Normally a towing license is needed, but there are exceptions, such as towing a broken-down vehicle using a rope or crane — where no special license is required.
At railroad crossings, drivers must always stop, look, and listen before proceeding, even if the crossing has no active signals.
Answer: True
Explanation: Japanese law requires a full stop at all level crossings, unless there is explicit signage exempting it. Safety checks are mandatory.
When a police officer raises both arms vertically, vehicles traveling parallel to the officer must stop, just as if facing a red light.
Answer: True
Explanation: Raised arms signal a complete stop for traffic in all directions parallel to the officer. This overrides traffic signals.
Drivers are permitted to make a right turn at a red light if a green right-arrow signal is shown.
Answer: True
Explanation: Japan does not allow right turns on red by default. However, when a special green arrow appears, turning is permitted while cross traffic remains stopped.
All vehicle occupants, including rear seat passengers, are legally required to wear seat belts whenever the vehicle is in motion.
Answer: True
Explanation: Seatbelt laws cover front and rear seats alike. Non-compliance can result in penalties and reduced safety in accidents.
Driving inside a tunnel requires headlights to be turned on, regardless of visibility.
Answer: True
Explanation: Tunnels are designated areas where headlights must always be on to ensure visibility for all vehicles.
Using a mobile phone for navigation while driving is allowed, as long as you do not hold the device in your hand.
Answer: False
Explanation: Even hands-free use is restricted if it distracts the driver. Operating a phone or inputting directions while moving is prohibited and punishable.
Tips for Success
Looking at the questions above, you may have realized that they are not too bad. A lot of them still rely a fair bit on common sense, and the rest are just remembering the specifics of Japanese traffic rules. However, there will still be the occasional pitfall traps, so make sure to keep the following tips in mind.:
- Study in advance: Don’t rely on common sense alone, many questions are counter-intuitive and rely on remembering specifics of Japanese traffic rules, such as stopping distance etc.
- Focus on tricky distinctions: “Stopping vs. parking,” “when to yield,” “what counts as prohibited.”
- Practice regularly: While the questions are not bad per se, the amount of questions and passing score of the new exam requires you to stay focused for longer
- Use official resources: Our Fast-Track study materials, “Rules of the Road” booklets, and local driving center guidelines typically cover the updated 2025 scope.
Final Thoughts
The October 2025 update makes passing the written test more demanding, but with the right preparation you can still succeed on your first try. Use practice questions like these, review the official materials, and consider structured lessons or our Fast-Track Package if you want expert guidance.
If you want to read more about the license conversion process in general, you can start here!
![【MY】နိုင်ငံခြားသား ယာဉ်မောင်းများ၊ တိုခုတေးဂီနိုး ယာဉ်မောင်းအလုပ်များနှင့် ကျွန်တော်တို့ Joys Japan ကုမ္ပဏီနဲ့ပတ်သတ်၍ စိတ်ဝင်စားဖွယ်အကြောင်းအရာများ [၂၀၂၅ ခုနှစ် update သတင်းများ]](https://ziplus.jp/road-ready/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/၁.png)
