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Japan License Conversion Trick Questions: 6 Types with Examples

Updated: 2026-10

The knowledge test (知識確認) requires 45 of 50 correct (90%), so falling for just a few trick questions means failing. They look different every time, but they follow a handful of fixed patterns. This page explains six patterns using real true/false questions and answers based on the test scope, the "Rules of Road Traffic" (交通の方法に関する教則). Once you know the patterns, you know exactly which part of a question to doubt.

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Type 1: Swapped numbers

A correct number from another place or rule is dropped into the question. Topics with several similar numbers – 5 m vs. 10 m, 30 m vs. 3 seconds – are the main targets. Whenever you see a number, ask: "Does this number really belong to this place?" All the numbers are collected on a separate page.

Question	Answer	Key point
You must not stop or park at a railroad crossing or within 5 meters before and after its edges.	False	It is 10 m. 5 m is for intersections and crosswalks
When you are about to change course (change lanes), you must give a signal 30 meters before doing so.	False	30 m is for turns and U-turns; lane changes are about 3 s
Stopping for up to 10 minutes to load or unload goods counts as stopping, not parking.	False	Loading counts as stopping only within 5 minutes
A standard motor vehicle (regular car) may carry cargo up to 1.5 times the length of the vehicle.	False	Length and width are both limited to 1.2×
If your speed doubles, your braking distance also roughly doubles.	False	It grows with the square of speed: 2× speed ≈ 4×

Type 2: "Always" and "in every case"

Statements with "must always", "in every case" or "no matter what" are false if any exception exists. But some absolute statements are true, so do not mechanically treat every absolute as false. Decide by whether you can name one exception.

Question	Answer	Key point
A green traffic light means 'go,' so vehicles facing it must always proceed.	False	Green means you may go, not that you must
When driving a motor vehicle, you must wear a seat belt in every situation, without exception.	False	Exempt when reversing, during pregnancy etc.
When going through a railroad crossing, you must in every case stop just before it and check that it is safe.	False	If the crossing has a green signal, you may cross without stopping
When driving through an intersection where you cannot see clearly to the left and right, you must always come to a complete stop.	False	The duty is to slow down; a full stop only where signed
Near a bend in the road, you must drive slowly enough to stop immediately, even when you have a clear view.	True	An absolute that is true: always slow down near bends
When crossing a sidewalk to enter a garage or parking lot, you must stop just before the sidewalk even if there are no pedestrians.	True	Also true: always stop before crossing a sidewalk

Type 3: Adding or removing exceptions

The basic rule is stated correctly, but its exception is deleted – or an exception is presented as if it were the rule. For any rule of the form "except when…", you need to know what the exception actually is.

Question	Answer	Key point
At an intersection and within 30 meters before it, you must not overtake, even when you are driving on a priority road.	False	On a priority road, overtaking near the intersection is allowed
When meeting another vehicle on a narrow slope, if there is a pull-off area nearby, even the uphill vehicle should move into it and give way.	True	If a passing bay is nearby, even the uphill car pulls in
When a route bus at a bus stop signals that it is about to pull out, vehicles behind it must give way in every case.	False	No duty to yield if it needs sudden braking or steering
Even in a place where you cannot leave 3.5 meters of space on the right side of your car, you may park when it is unavoidable in order to help a sick or injured person.	True	Helping the injured is an exception to the 3.5 m rule
Holding and operating a mobile phone while stopped at a red light counts as use while driving, so it is a violation.	False	Only use while moving is banned; a stopped car is outside the rule

Type 4: Swapped subjects

The rule itself is right, but the vehicle or person it applies to has been changed. Common pairs: motorcycles vs. mopeds, cars vs. streetcars, cars vs. mopeds. Read as if you were underlining the subject of every sentence.

Question	Answer	Key point
On ordinary roads with a center line or marked lanes and no speed limit sign, the statutory maximum speed for large motorcycles is 30 km/h.	False	Motorcycles count as cars: 60 km/h. 30 km/h is for mopeds
When a yellow arrow signal is shown, vehicles may proceed in the direction of the arrow.	False	Yellow arrows are for streetcars; cars follow green arrows
When the vehicle ahead is trying to overtake a motorized bicycle (moped), overtaking that vehicle is prohibited as double overtaking.	False	It is double overtaking only if the car ahead is passing a motor vehicle
On the main lanes of a national expressway, the statutory maximum speed for light motor vehicles (kei cars) is 80 km/h.	False	Kei cars are 100 km/h too; 80 is an outdated figure
Even when a green right-turn arrow is shown, motorized bicycles (mopeds) that must make a two-step right turn, and light vehicles, may not start turning right.	True	True: mopeds that must turn in two stages cannot use the arrow

Type 5: Look-alike terms

Japanese traffic law has many pairs of terms that sound similar but carry different duties: 徐行 (slow down) vs. 一時停止 (full stop), 駐車 (parking) vs. 停車 (stopping), 追越し (overtaking) vs. 追抜き (passing without changing lanes), 停止禁止部分 (no-stopping zone) vs. 立入り禁止部分 (no-entry zone), bus-only lane vs. bus-priority lane, braking distance vs. stopping distance. Translations often blur them, so learn each Japanese term on its own.

Question	Answer	Key point
When a pedestrian is about to cross at a pedestrian crossing, it is enough to slow down and let the pedestrian go.	False	For pedestrians at a crosswalk you must stop, not just slow down
When passing a stopped school or kindergarten bus, you must always come to a complete stop.	False	Beside a stopped school bus: slow down, a full stop is not required
Stopping to let people get on or off becomes parking if it takes more than 5 minutes.	False	Picking up or dropping off people is stopping regardless of time
Where the road marking 'No Stopping Zone' framed in yellow is painted, you must not enter that area to drive through it.	False	You may drive through a no-stopping zone; you may not enter a no-entry zone
A priority lane for route buses means the same as a bus-only lane, so regular cars must not drive in it.	False	Ordinary cars may use a bus-priority lane (leave it when a bus comes)
Stopping distance means the distance the car travels from the moment the brakes start to work until it comes to a stop.	False	That is braking distance; stopping distance adds the reaction distance

Type 6: Duty vs. best effort, and different scopes

A mandatory rule ("must", with penalties) is swapped with a best-effort one (努力義務, "should try to"), or similar rules with different scopes are mixed up. Steep slopes and tunnels have different scopes for parking, overtaking and slowing down, so learn them from a table.

Question	Answer	Key point
Drivers aged 70 or older must display the elderly driver mark, and they are punished if they do not.	False	The elderly-driver mark is best effort, with no penalty
On a steep slope, stopping and parking are prohibited whether the slope goes uphill or downhill.	True	Stopping/parking is banned on steep slopes both up and down
A steep uphill slope is a place where overtaking is prohibited.	False	No overtaking applies only to steep downhill slopes and near hilltops
A steep uphill slope is a place where you must slow down (to a speed at which the vehicle can stop immediately).	False	Mandatory slow-down also applies only to steep downhill slopes
Inside a tunnel, overtaking is prohibited whether or not there are vehicle traffic lanes.	False	In tunnels, overtaking is banned only without marked lanes
Inside a tunnel, you may stop or park only when vehicle traffic lanes are provided.	False	Stopping/parking in tunnels is banned even with lanes

How to read questions so traps stand out

In the exam, checking each question in this order makes traps much easier to spot.

menkyopass mock exams in English follow the real format (50 questions, 30 minutes), and each explanation tells you which trap type you fell for. Your first mock exam and three topics are free.

Identify the subject (which vehicle, which person)
If there is a number, check it belongs to this place or rule
If you see "always" or "in every case", look for one exception
Check look-alike terms (徐行 / 一時停止 etc.) are used correctly
Check whether it is a duty or only best effort

FAQ

Q. Are all questions with "always" false?

A. No. If there is no exception, they are true. For example, "Near a bend in the road, you must slow down even when visibility is good" is true. Decide by whether you can name an exception.

Q. Which trap type is most common?

A. Swapped numbers and look-alike terms (such as 徐行 vs. 一時停止) are especially common. Both are easy points once you have learned them.

Q. Can I answer based on the rules in my home country?

A. No. Answers follow Japan's rules. Be especially careful with differences such as driving on the left and stopping for pedestrians at crosswalks.

Q. How much practice do I need against trick questions?

A. There is no fixed number. A good benchmark is consistently scoring 45+ on full mock exams and being able to say which trap type each mistake was.