Tokyo, 18 May, /AJMEDIA/
Last year, we reported on a trend wherein Chinese nationals, who already have Chinese driver’s licenses, come to Japan for a week or so on a tourist visa and pick up a Japanese driver’s license while here. You might wonder why someone who lives in China would want both a Chinese and a Japanese driver’s license, and the reason is that China doesn’t have as many international driver’s license agreements as Japan does, meaning that it’s easier for Chinese nationals to convert their Japanese license into an international driving permit when going to a third country than it is to do the same with a Chinese license.
Going to another country to get a driver’s license seems like it ought to be a major hassle, considering you’d need to return there to renew it and apply for international permits. But, it’s surprisingly easy in Japan. With the low yen, travel has never been more affordable from a lot of countries, and the system is set up so that converting another country’s license to a Japanese one only requires a short test that’s easier than the soul-crushing one Japanese people endure by leaps and bounds.
