Types of License
Japanese licenses are divided by experience level and by vehicle type.
- Provisional license (仮運転免許): Issued to a new driver undergoing training for their Class 1 license. Requires the driver to display learner's black-on-white plates on the exterior of the vehicle, and to be accompanied by a supervising experienced Class 1 license holder while driving. This license is expired unless a learner driver gains Class 1 license within six months.
- Class 1 license (第一種運転免許): The ordinary license for operating a private automobile.
- Class 2 license (第二種運転免許): Required when operating a commercial passenger-carrying vehicle such as a taxi or bus. Driver must be 21 years of age or older and have at least three years of experience driving under a Class 1 license (relaxed to two years for members of the Japan Self-Defense Forces).
The vehicle type ratings are as follows:
| Type of Class 1 license |
Vehicle type | |||||||
| Heavy vehicle (大型自動車) |
Medium vehicle (中型自動車) |
Ordinary vehicle (普通自動車) |
Heavy special vehicle (大型特殊自動車) |
Heavy motorcycle (大型自動二輪車) |
Ordinary motorcycle (普通自動二輪車) |
Small special vehicle (小型特殊自動車) |
Moped (原動機付自転車) |
|
| Heavy license (大型免許) Minimum age: 21 (20 for SDF members) |
Permitted | Permitted | Permitted | Permitted | Permitted | |||
| Medium license (中型免許) Minimum age: 20 (19 for SDF members) |
Permitted | Permitted | Permitted | Permitted | ||||
| Ordinary license (普通免許) Minimum age: 18 |
Permitted | Permitted | Permitted | |||||
| Large special license (大型特殊免許) Minimum age: 18 |
Permitted | Permitted | Permitted | |||||
| Large motorcycle license (大型二輪免許) Minimum age: 18 |
Permitted | Permitted | Permitted | Permitted | ||||
| Ordinary motorcycle license (普通二輪免許) Minimum age: 16 |
Permitted | Permitted | Permitted | |||||
| Small special license (小型特殊免許) Minimum age: 16 |
Permitted | |||||||
| Moped license (原付免許) Minimum age: 16 |
Permitted | |||||||
| Trailer license (けん引免許) Minimum age: 18 |
|
|||||||
Ordinary, heavy motorcycle and ordinary motorcycle license classes are either "unrestricted" (i.e., the driver may use a manual transmission or automatic transmission vehicle) or "restricted to automatic".
The vehicle classes are as follows:
- Heavy vehicle: Any automobile which weighs 11,000 kg or more, has maximum capacity of 6,500 kg or more, or carries 30 or more people.
- Medium vehicle: Any automobile which weighs 5,000 kg or more, has maximum capacity of 3,000 kg or more, or carries 11 or more people.
- Ordinary vehicle: Any automobile outside the other classifications.
- Heavy special vehicle: Specialized automotive equipment such as tractors or cranes which are used for particular work and are not classified as small special vehicles.
- Heavy motorcycle: Any motorcycle with engine displacement over 400 cc.
- Ordinary motorcycle: Any motorcycle with engine displacement over 50 cc.
- Small special vehicle: Specialized automotive equipment with a maximum speed of 15 km/h or less AND no larger than 4.7m × 1.7m × 2.8 m.
- Moped: Any motorcycle with engine displacement of 50 cc or less.
Read more about this topic: Driving License In Japan
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