Job Discussion Forums

[elizabeth]

Is it legal to drive in Japan on an international driving permit while working as an ALT? The reason I'm asking is because I read that many alt's and jet's coming to Japan are led to believe they are covered by insurance in the event of an accident, aparently they are not covered.

p.s. I'm British.

[lajzar]

An international driving license is valid in Japan provided...

- You got your original (non-international) driving license at least 3 months before you arrived in Japan.
- You have been in Japan for less than 12 months.

I believe British drivers have some legalistic advantages when it comes to driving in Japan, but �m not sure of the exact details.

[Stella]

Elizabeth,

There seem to be two different issues in you post.

Re: >Is it legal to drive in Japan on an international driving permit while working as an ALT?
Yes - it's legal to drive on an international drivers licence.

Re: >many alt's and jet's coming to Japan are led to believe they are covered by insurance in the event of an accident, aparently they are not covered.
What kind of insurance?

Health insurance? The health insurance provided for JETs may or may not cover them for driving-related injuries. You'd have to check that with the organisers of the health insurance. If you are checking - ask very specific questions because it wouldn't be at all unusual to get vaque or unclear answers if the Japanese think you aren't going to like the information.

And car insurance? That's another separate issue. Of course you'd need to get your own personal car insurance too if you were going to buy and drive a car here.

Good luck
Stella

[Gouki]

I am a British citizen, what advantages do I have for driving in Japan?

Do I have to apply for an International License and can I do that at any British embassies?

Thanks for your help.

[Sherri]

One advantage to having a UK driving license is that you don't need to take the Japanese driving test to get a Japanese license. A truly great advantage since taking the test here is very expensive and time consuming (even experienced drivers get failed the first try).

A word about driving here, it is not the other cars that bother me, it is the gormless pedestrians and cyclists. There are few sidewalks (pavements) so everyone is on the same road together. Cyclists don't have to obey traffic rules, so they cycle all over the place, wrong way down one way streets, no lights at night (though they are supposed to), women with 3 kids piled onto one bike etc--doesn't make for safe driving conditions. As the car driver, if you do hit a cyclist it is always your fault no matter what actually happened.

[belleyeuxchan8023]

Hi,

I heard the same thing about not being covered. As the international drivers licence (as explained to me so may not be correct) is not intended for people worked overseas for an indefinite period - and certainly if they haven't returned to get it renewed - This is how it is viewed in Japan. We were told that if we had a valid international licenece but had it sent to us without going home to get it renewed then it wasn't legal.

This is why many companies that employ teachers to work as ALT's are having there teachers get Japanese drivers licences. As stated by Sherri, it is easy (just bring a Japanese speaker) if your contry drives on the left. Just ensure your licence back home is valid, go in and take the eye test, then wait for the group that took the eye test the same time as you to complete the actual test and you've got a Japanese licence.