Driver's licence in Japan.

[Dotanbatan]

I've found out the process for 'converting' my Australian driving licence to a Japanese one is still pretty easy but I have a question for anyone who has done this recently.

My wife seems to think that the local driver's licence centre will keep my Australian licence i.e not return it because it is viewed as a kind of replacement.
Is this correct? It seems strange to me.

She is pretty sure that this is also what happened when I did the same thing in Japan more than 20 years ago .... I can't recall this happening though!

Can anyone confirm this one way or the other?

 

[Glenski]

Call them and find out.

 

[Mike Cash]

No, they won't confiscate your Australian license.

 

[Dotanbatan]

No, they won't confiscate your Australian license.

Thanks for the confirmation.
I thought I was right.

 

[tomoni]

No, they won't confiscate your Australian license.

Agree, did not try to keep mine (in fact they have no right to confiscate it, though where the "confusion in the rumour mill " may come from is that when you do change over, they usually ask you if you an an international license, and will insist you turn that in (at least 10 people including myself had this experience years ago)

 

[Dotanbatan]

Agree, did not try to keep mine (in fact they have no right to confiscate it, though where the "confusion in the rumour mill " may come from is that when you do change over, they usually ask you if you an an international license, and will insist you turn that in (at least 10 people including myself had this experience years ago)

That's good to hear as I will need to return to Australia a few times over the next 12 months.

I think the Mrs is confused ....... it is, as you said, perhaps the international licence that they confiscated before.

The confiscation of that makes sense really - as if you had an International licence and a Japanese one you could avoid getting nabbed for consecutive infringements if caught by the police.

 

[tomoni]

- as if you had an International licence and a Japanese one you could avoid getting nabbed for consecutive infringements if caught by the police.

Speaking from experience… ?

lol

These days they have cracked down on enforcement of the rules of international licences and you cannot use one after you have been here for a year. (application of this rule many vary, though in my prefecture, they strictly enforce this and my impression from them was that this was a national approach because of the increase in number of accidents involving unlicensed foreign drivers).

 

[Dotanbatan]

Speaking from experience… ?

lol

These days they have cracked down on enforcement of the rules of international licences and you cannot use one after you have been here for a year. (application of this rule many vary, though in my prefecture, they strictly enforce this and my impression from them was that this was a national approach because of the increase in number of accidents involving unlicensed foreign drivers).

Well spotted.

I also shamelessly played the Gaijin card once when nabbed for speeding by the police! I mumbled a few badly pronounced Japanese words as I showed him my licence, then a volley of overblown English at high speed. A few bows and an apologetic face from me followed and he simply waved me on with a parting "ki o tsukete!" and a look of 'mendokusai' on his face.