Driving Me Round The Bend

 A few months ago, driving laws in Japan were revised to the effect that all non-Japanese people residing in Japan after one year are now required to obtain a Japanese driver’s license. This has caused a great inconvenience on many non-Japanese living in Kochi Prefecture, particularly those who reside in rural areas, and especially if that person is from a country that does not drive on the same side of the road as Japan. If you are from a country that drives on the left hand side, such as the UK or Australia, then you are exempt from taking any exams to obtain your license. If you are from a country that drives on the right hand side, such as the US or Canada, then you must attempt and pass a written and practical driving exam. If you have had your license for less than three months in your home country, you must undertake driving lessons in Japan, as well as pass a written and practical driving exam after your International Driver’s License has expired, regardless of which country you come from.

 As I am Australian, obtaining my Japanese license was relatively smooth and only required two visits to the License Centre in Ino Town. The first time was to submit documents for photocopying. It was a painless exercise, but I am still perplexed as to why I could not photocopy the documents myself and simply fax them to the License Centre from my office, and why I had to time the appointment to submit my documents to match the times of other non-Japanese residing in Kochi. The second time was to have my photo taken, take an eye test, and listen to a one-hour lecture about driving with a group of bleary-eyed teenagers. Although this process went smoothly, it took an entire day, and also made me wonder why I couldn’t have done it on my previous visit.

 Regardless of the fact that my experiences were extremely mild compared to other non-Japanese, it was still a patronising experience as I have been driving for eight years, and made me think about whether my country made Japanese people in similar circumstances as myself do the same thing. So, I asked them. According to Department of Transport in South Australia:

‘If you are a VISITOR to South Australia then you are able to drive on the basis of your overseas driver's license, for as long as you can be classed as a visitor, and as long as your license remains current. If the license is not written in English, then you must also have an International Driving Permit (issued from the country of origin), or an English translation of the license, to carry with your driver's license whilst driving. If you obtain PERMANENT RESIDENCY during your stay, you must then obtain a South Australian license within three months of becoming a resident.’

 What this means is that all a Japanese person needs to drive in South Australia is their valid license and an English translation. Being on a work visa does not classify you as a resident but as a visitor, and therefore does not require you to obtain a local license. If Australian law recognises Japan’s authority on driver’s licenses, why can’t Japanese law recognise Australia’s authority?

 Here is a sample of the opinions of other non-Japanese residing in Kochi prefecture about their experiences on getting that laminated card.

Person A, Country of Origin: North America
 "Probably the most infuriating thing about driving in Japan is that they allow you to drive for an entire year with no problems. Once that year is up though, perfect driving record or no, you have to suffer through an asinine series of tests that have nothing to do with actually driving on Japanese roads. The test itself consists of driving on an enclosed track where what you have on your feet has as much bearing on whether you pass or fail as driving off the course and totaling the car would. If you fail, the instructors might tell you what you did wrong, but only grudgingly and after making it clear that you're causing them undue trouble. I guess that means safe driving is something best figured out by oneself. Or possibly by spending ridiculous amounts of money on driving school, which just reinforces my belief that the whole system is simply a scam to make money. In total I had to use a fourth of my vacation days and paid well over 20,000 yen including transportation throughout the entire ordeal. Were I not living out in the mountains, I probably would have given up long before I actually passed. Where I live, however, having a car is not a simple convenience, it's a necessity."

Person B, Country of Origin: North America
 "Having driven for over 15 years, 4 of those years on Japanese streets, I thought I would be okay, but alas all that experience was not enough. After my first failure the test giver started by saying ‘You are a good driver, but...’. The ‘but’ was followed by two comments about driving school rules that have little base in reality. After the second test when the test giver told me my driving was okay, but that North American roads were very different from Japanese roads…I was about to explain to her that after 4 years driving in Japan, from Amori to Kagoshima, through Osaka, Nagoya, and parts of Tokyo, I had figured out that the roads were somewhat different!!! Of course, I was completely civil, bowed low, and like every time I failed, I apologized for wasting their time as I knew venting my anger at the test giver was only going to earn me a couple of more trips to Ino-cho. For the third test I brought a translator, my supervisor, to make sure that I was not misinterpreting their comments. I wasn't, but after failing the third time for reasons that seemed like a joke, I decided to bite the bullet and go for driving lessons. What a shot to my ego, but for my sanity I had to know all the things they were looking for. An hour driving lesson was all I needed to learn the exact place to turn on my signal, what to say, when to say it, how many centremetres to drive from the inside or outside line and the other little things that have little to do with driving on the road. The fourth and last test went without a hitch; the test giver didn't even open her book. After, I felt no joy or sense of accomplishment, just relief that I didn't have to use any more of my holidays to jump through the driving test hoop. It don't think the test made me a better driver, nor do I think I grew very much as a person from the experience, but it is finished, and I can go back to what I enjoy doing without worry. I do not think it is biased or racist in any way, just wrong. In the end, I got over it and felt no bad feelings towards the testers, Japan, or the lawmakers. What I took away from Ino-cho was a license I needed, and a deeper understanding of what Japanese must go through their whole lives: doing pointless tasks and tests to satisfy the bureaucrats."

Person C, Country of Origin: United Kingdom
 "The now empty car-parking space next to my house is ample proof of the way the new driving regulations in Japan affected me. Whereas last year the space contained a beautiful black white-plate pearler of a road cruiser, there now lies only a faint set of car treads and a rusty mama chari. Even the car treads are destined to vanish with the next typhoon rains. Under the new regulations one may convert an international driving permit into a Japanese license only if you had a license in your native country for more than 3 months prior to your arrival in Japan. This was not the case for me, hence the sale of my car, [since paying for lessons and testing would cost more than the value of it]. The only mystery is how I was deemed able to drive legally for 365 days in Japan, only to wake up the following morning and be a danger to others."

Person D, Country of Origin: Canada
 "My problem is not with foreigners taking a driving test. I actually think it makes sense. My problem is with the inconvenience of it all and the ridiculous number of times you are doomed to fail before you pass. Knowing that going in makes you feel quite defeated, and trying to arrange it all with my supervisor who is a very helpful but extremely busy man, is just an added stress for everyone. If I knew it would be a one-time deal, rather than a five-time deal, it wouldn't be so bad. For example, being able to get my license translated, my documents delivered and my eye test and written test done on the same day rather than 3 separate occasions (add 4 more for the driving test)."

Person E, Country of Origin: Canada
 "My province actually has a reciprocal licensing agreement with Japan, which means I should not have to take the driving test. I have been in contact with the embassy and the motor vehicles branch back home and they have both confirmed this. Japanese people in my province are given their licenses "over the counter" as it were, however, Japan refuses to honour this agreement."

 How will these changes affect international exchange in Japan in the future? In Kochi Prefecture, where many non-Japanese live in small isolated towns, driving is not so much a preference as it is a necessity. Will non-Japanese reconsider their stay in these areas past one year if these tests are what’s waiting for them, and particularly if they must do driving lessons as well?

Person F, Country of Origin: United Kingdom
 "A BIG resounding YES…the driving laws are seriously influencing my decision as to whether or not to recontract... The cost of [the driving test] alone is enough to make me consider not recontracting, but also the practicalities of getting to and from the test/lesson centres from [where I am]…I have a feeling that my office would offer to drive me to work each day if I did stay on without a car, but the loss of my freedom would be agonising, and I'd be pretty stuck for things to do on the weekends!"

Person G, Country of Origin: Canada
 "Hearing what my friends have gone through to get their licenses hasn't got me thinking about leaving, but it has got me looking for loopholes or alternatives."

Person H, Country of Origin: Canada
 "Unless the driving centre starts playing fair and actually passing us without the 4 obligatory tries, our offices start granting us some leave for this, and Japan starts owing up to its agreements, I think we will see a turn towards leaving after the first year in the inaka."

Person I, Country of Origin: North America
 "I think this is a big issue as it may hurt JET retention rates in rural communities like mine (a place where it seems MEXT is proud to have them). Without my car, life would be very, very dull."

 Addendum: As of February 1^st 2003, citizens of Canada will no longer have to undertake written or practical driving exams in order to obtain their Japanese license, effectively bringing them under the same circumstances as drivers from Australia, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. Let’s hope that this new change in the law will eventually broaden to include all nationalities.