Gaimen50-question practice tests in the real exam format

Japan License Conversion: Every Number on the Knowledge Test

Q: Is the speed limit on ordinary roads 60 km/h?

Yes on roads with a center line or lanes, or a divided carriageway. Since September 1, 2026, residential roads without a center line default to 30 km/h. Posted signs always take priority.

Q: Does 徐行 (slow down) mean 10 km/h or less?

No. The law defines it as a speed at which you can stop immediately; 10 km/h is only a rule of thumb. A question saying "徐行 means 10 km/h or less" is false.

Q: How do I remember the 5 m and 10 m no-stopping zones?

Intersections, bends and crosswalks are 5 m; railroad crossings, safety zones and bus stops are 10 m. Think "anything to do with trains and buses is 10 m".

Q: How many questions and how much time?

50 text-based true/false questions in 30 minutes, with 45 correct needed to pass (NPA guidelines). That is about 36 seconds per question.

Updated: 2026-10

On the knowledge test (知識確認: 50 true/false questions, 45 needed to pass), number questions are where most points are lost. A typical question takes a correct number and attaches it to the wrong place or vehicle, so learn each number together with what it applies to. Every figure below was checked against the Road Traffic Act, its Enforcement Order and the National Police Agency's "Rules of Road Traffic" (交通の方法に関する教則), including the 30 km/h residential-road limit in force since September 1, 2026.

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Speeds (km/h)

The statutory limit (法定速度) applies where no sign or road marking sets a speed. A posted limit overrides it, except for mopeds (原付): they are capped at 30 km/h even on a road signed for 40 km/h.

Since September 1, 2026, on ordinary roads with no center line (中央線), no marked lanes (車両通行帯) and no median separating the two directions – residential roads (生活道路) – the statutory limit for cars has dropped from 60 km/h to 30 km/h. The old textbook line "60 km/h unless posted" now applies only to roads with a center line or lanes.

Number	What it applies to	Watch out
60 km/h	Cars on ordinary roads with a center line/lanes or a divided carriageway	Motorcycles count as cars, so 60 km/h
30 km/h	Cars on ordinary roads without a center line (residential roads)	From Sept 1, 2026. A sign overrides it
30 km/h	Mopeds (原付)	Even on a road signed for 40 km/h
40 km/h / 30 km/h	Towing with a rope	40 km/h only if the towed vehicle is ≤2,000 kg and the towing vehicle weighs at least 3 times as much; otherwise 30 km/h
100 km/h	Regular cars, kei cars (軽自動車) and motorcycles on national expressways	Kei cars are 100 km/h, not 80
90 km/h	Large trucks on national expressways	Since April 2024 (was 80 km/h)
80 km/h	Tractor-trailers, three-wheelers etc. on national expressways
50 km/h	Minimum speed on national expressway main lanes	Ordinary roads have no statutory minimum
10 km/h	Commonly quoted as a guide for 徐行 (slow down)	Legally it means a speed at which you can stop at once – no number

Parking and stopping distances (m)

No stopping or parking (駐停車禁止 – not even a brief stop) uses 5 m and 10 m; no parking (駐車禁止 – brief stops allowed) uses 1 m, 3 m and 5 m. Questions love to swap numbers between these two lists.

Some no-stopping places have no distance at all: inside intersections, crosswalks and railroad crossings (踏切), on streetcar tracks, near the top of a hill, on steep slopes (up or down) and in tunnels.

Number	Place	Type of ban
Within 5 m	Edge of an intersection, a road bend, either side of a crosswalk or bicycle crossing	No stopping or parking
Within 10 m	Either side of a railroad crossing; left of a safety zone (安全地帯) and either side of it	No stopping or parking
Within 10 m	Bus or streetcar stop sign (during service hours only)	No stopping or parking
Within 1 m	Fire alarm box (火災報知機)	No parking
Within 3 m	Vehicle entrance of a car park or garage	No parking
Within 5 m	Edge of road works, fire hydrant (消火栓) or fire water-source sign, fire equipment storage	No parking
3.5 m or more	Space that must remain on your right when parked	Otherwise parking is banned in principle (exceptions: loading with the driver ready to drive, helping the injured)
0.75 m or more	Space to leave on your left when parking inside a wide side strip (路側帯)	Do not enter a side strip 0.75 m wide or less

Driving, signaling and lights

Signals use two different units: turns and U-turns are signaled 30 m ahead (distance), lane changes about 3 seconds ahead (time). The no-overtaking zone is also 30 m, but only within 30 m before a crosswalk or bicycle crossing is passing without changing lanes (追抜き) banned too.

Number	What it applies to	Watch out
30 m ahead	Signal for left/right turns and U-turns	Roundabouts: no signal entering, signal when exiting
About 3 s ahead	Signal for a lane change	Often swapped with 30 m
Within 30 m	No overtaking before intersections, railroad crossings, crosswalks	Exception: on a priority road (優先道路). At crosswalks, passing alongside is banned too
1.5 m or more	Gap from a stopped streetcar	If nobody is boarding, you may pass slowly
Within 5 m	Gap when towing a broken-down car with a rope	Tie a white cloth of at least 0.3 m square to the rope
50 m (200 m on expressways)	Headlights even in daytime in tunnels, fog etc.	When you cannot see 50 m ahead
50 m	Night parking without lights is allowed	Where street lighting makes the car visible from 50 m behind
About 100 m / 80 m	Expressway following distance at 100 / 80 km/h on a dry road	About double on wet roads or with worn tires
About 1 m / 20–30 km/h	Guide when passing a cyclist going the same way on their right	In force since April 1, 2026. Without enough space, slow to a safe speed (figures are NPA guidance)

Times and ages

Ages are usually tested together with whether a rule is mandatory or only "best effort" (努力義務). The elderly-driver mark at 70+ is best effort (no penalty); the beginner mark for drivers licensed under a year is mandatory.

Number	What it applies to	Watch out
Within 5 min	Stopping to load/unload goods counts as stopping (停車)	Picking up or dropping off people is stopping regardless of time
Under 1 year	Beginner mark (初心者マーク)	Mandatory
70 or older	Elderly-driver mark (高齢者マーク)	Best effort only, no penalty
Under 6	Child seat required	Exceptions: taxis, buses, while breastfeeding etc.
Under 13 / 70 or older	Examples of riders allowed to cycle on sidewalks	Stated in the 教則
1 year or more	License period needed to carry a passenger on a motorcycle on ordinary roads
20+ and 3 years+	Conditions to carry a passenger on a motorcycle on expressways
18	Minimum age for a regular car license (普通免許)	Mopeds and standard motorcycles 16, medium 20, large 21 (with exceptions)
8-20	Supplementary plate: rule applies 8 a.m.–8 p.m. only	No restriction outside those hours

Weights, passengers and loads

Since a 2022 amendment, loads may be up to 1.2 times the vehicle's length and width (previously 1.1). Old material will mislead you here.

Number	What it applies to	Watch out
<3.5 t · <2 t · ≤10 people	Vehicles you can drive on a regular license (gross weight, max load, seating)	Also mopeds and small special vehicles
3 children = 2 adults	How children under 12 are counted	5-seat car: driver + 1 adult + 4 children
1.2×	Max load length and width (relative to the vehicle)	1.5× is wrong
3.8 m	Max load height (from the ground)	Measured from the ground, not the cargo bed
2,000 kg · 3×	Condition for towing at 40 km/h	Otherwise 30 km/h
125 cc or less	Motorcycles banned from expressways	Mopeds are banned too

Alcohol and the "squared" rule

Driving under the influence (酒気帯び運転) means 0.15 mg or more of alcohol per liter of breath (or 0.3 mg per ml of blood). Since July 21, 2026, drunk driving (酒酔い運転) also covers 0.5 mg or more per liter of breath (or 1.0 mg per ml of blood). Even below a limit, it is drunk driving if alcohol may prevent you from driving normally. Any question saying "a little alcohol is fine" is false.

Braking distance, centrifugal force and impact force grow with the square of speed: double the speed means about 4 times, triple means about 9 times. Wet roads and worn tires lengthen the braking distance; fatigue and alcohol lengthen the reaction (free-running) distance.

0.15 mg/L: limit for driving under the influence (per liter of breath)
0.25 mg/L or more: heavier administrative penalties
2× → 4×, 3× → 9×: braking distance, centrifugal force, impact

How to make the numbers stick

Just reading the tables is not enough under exam pressure. Try three steps: (1) cover the table and write out "the 5 m places" and "the 10 m places"; (2) where the same 30 m appears (signals vs. overtaking), explain the difference in one sentence; (3) practice real true/false questions so number swaps become obvious. For example, "Within 5 m on either side of a railroad crossing, you must not stop or park" is false (it is 10 m), while "Driving with 0.15 mg or more of alcohol per liter of breath is driving under the influence" is true.

menkyopass mock exams in English follow the real format (50 questions, 30 minutes) and explain every number swap. Your first mock exam and three topics are free.

FAQ

Q. Is the speed limit on ordinary roads 60 km/h?

A. Yes on roads with a center line or lanes, or a divided carriageway. Since September 1, 2026, residential roads without a center line default to 30 km/h. Posted signs always take priority.

Q. Does 徐行 (slow down) mean 10 km/h or less?

A. No. The law defines it as a speed at which you can stop immediately; 10 km/h is only a rule of thumb. A question saying "徐行 means 10 km/h or less" is false.

Q. How do I remember the 5 m and 10 m no-stopping zones?

A. Intersections, bends and crosswalks are 5 m; railroad crossings, safety zones and bus stops are 10 m. Think "anything to do with trains and buses is 10 m".

Q. How many questions and how much time?

A. 50 text-based true/false questions in 30 minutes, with 45 correct needed to pass (NPA guidelines). That is about 36 seconds per question.