Japanese Driver License tours from China

I caught a mind-blowing report on Japanese TV yesterday morning, about foreigners queuing up at a driver's license center in Shinagawa ward, from before sunrise to exchange their driver license from their home country to a Japanese one. Even more baffling, and worrying, is that you don't have to be resident in Japan to do it. Hence, Japan is attracting tourists who come to Japan simply to get a Japanese Driver's License.

A quick search on the Internet revealed this is nothing new, but I had personally never heard of it before although it seems to have widely reported in recent months. I was quite taken aback by how ridiculously easy it is for anyone to exchange a driver's license from any country for a Japanese one. There is just a short test with easy questions. Moreover, non residents of Japan can just use a hotel for the address on the license.

The end goal though, is not the Japanese driver's license itself, but the International Driver's Permit you can then secure with a Japanese Driver's license. An International Driver's Permit obtained in Japan can be used in more than a 100 countries. Meanwhile a Chinese driver's license can only be used in 11 countries. Coupled with the affordability (just 4600 yen) and the ease of which the permit can be secured, for some the trip to Japan is worth it. Even if the permit is only for one year. Reportedly, at least one tour operator in China has cashed in on this and organizes "Japanese Driver License Tours".

In my local driver's license center (Konosu) you have to present your alien registration card to get an international permit. Is this not the case in every driver's license center? Or is that this rule does not apply to Japanese Driver License tourists? Hardly seems fair or safe. Moreover, the use of a hotel as an address for an International Driver's Permit should not be legal. I hope the Japanese government addresses this in the future.