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How to Practise for Japan's License Conversion Driving Test

Updated: 2026-10

The practical test (技能確認) is hard to pass without practice, even for people who have driven for years abroad. Gifu Prefectural Police (岐阜県警) say many applicants fail for lack of practice, and Gunma Prefectural Police (群馬県警) recommend practising beforehand at a driving school (自動車教習所). Driving on public roads without a Japanese licence or a valid international permit is unlicensed driving, so practise on a driving-school course and learn the routes from the course maps some prefectural police publish.

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Why you need to practise

According to the National Police Agency (警察庁), the practical-test pass rate in October–December 2025 was 13.1% (30.4% in 2024). Since October 2025 tasks such as passing a pedestrian crosswalk have been added and scoring is stricter.

Gifu Police list, as one reason the process drags on, 'cases where applicants have not practised safe driving beforehand, fail the practical test and must retake it', and ask applicants to practise first. Gunma Police likewise say most applicants need several attempts to reach the standard and recommend practising at a driving school or similar beforehand.

No public-road practice until you have a Japanese licence

Article 64 of the Road Traffic Act (道路交通法) forbids driving a car without a Japanese licence. The penalty is up to 3 years' imprisonment (拘禁刑) or a fine of up to 500,000 yen (Article 117-2-2). A foreign licence on its own does not let you drive in Japan.

The exception is Article 107-2: with an international driving permit in the Geneva Convention format, or a licence from certain designated countries or regions with an approved Japanese translation, you may drive for 1 year from the date you landed in Japan. Anyone else who drives on public roads 'to practise' is driving unlicensed. Under Japanese law, an unlicensed person practising on public roads needs a learner's permit (仮免許) and a qualified supervisor in the passenger seat (Article 87).

Lenders are also at risk. Providing a car to someone likely to drive unlicensed is prohibited (Article 64(2)), and if that person does drive, the lender faces the same penalty. Do not borrow a friend's or relative's car to practise on the road.

Situation	Can you drive on public roads?
Valid international permit for Japan, within 1 year of landing	Yes (Article 107-2)
Foreign licence only, no international permit	No (unlicensed driving)
More than 1 year since landing	No (unlicensed driving)
Course inside a driving school	Driving as part of the school's practice

Where to practise: a driving school

The realistic place to practise is a driving school (自動車教習所). Whether they take conversion applicants, and their prices, hours and cars, vary by school, so ask them directly. There is no official price guide.

Checking these points when you enquire will get you practice that matches the test.

Do they accept people converting a foreign licence?
Can you drive the same tasks as the test (S-bend, crank, hill start, rail crossing, crosswalk, obstacle)?
Automatic (AT) or manual (MT)? Pick the same type as your test car
Will they coach the timing of head checks, signals and positioning?
Session length and price, how to book, and whether they can explain in English or your language

Get the course map and learn the routes

The practical test is held on the course inside the test center. The NPA guidelines require at least 3 routes for an ordinary licence and similar classes, with the same tasks in a different order. Gifu Police say all licence classes moved to new courses in October 2025 and one of several routes is chosen on the day.

Some prefectural police publish the course maps. For example, Niigata Police publish route 1–3 maps for ordinary and semi-medium (準中型) licences for the conversion practical test, separately for the Niigata and Nagaoka centers, and Gifu Police publish route 1–3 maps for ordinary and semi-medium cars as PDFs (checked October 2026). Check your prefectural police website to see whether your test center's map is available.

Learn every route and mark where to signal, where to move over, the stop signs, the rail crossing and the crosswalk. On the day you will not have to think about the route and can focus on your checks. Taking a wrong turn is not penalised, but your driving while returning to the route is still scored (NPA implementation standard).

The test car: match AT or MT in practice

Under the guidelines, the ordinary-licence practical test uses a manual car, or an automatic if you apply for an AT-only (AT限定) licence. Practising in a different type of car than the test car is far less useful. See our licence types article for whether AT-only makes sense for you.

Licence applied for	Car used in the practical test
Ordinary (普通免許)	Manual ordinary car
Ordinary, AT-only	Automatic ordinary car
Semi-medium (準中型)	Automatic semi-medium vehicle and manual ordinary car
Semi-medium, AT-only	Automatic semi-medium vehicle
Ordinary motorcycle (普通二輪)	Manual motorcycle (automatic if AT-only)

A practice plan for each task

The ordinary-licence tasks are set in the guidelines (total distance 1,200 m or more). Here is what to drill until it is automatic for each one. Point values are in our article on driving test deductions.

Task	What to practise
Outer loop and curves	Finish braking before the curve, check behind in the mirror
Right and left turns	Signal at 30 m, position, head check, slow down, correct line
Stop at a marked spot	Full stop right before the line, look both ways
Pedestrian crosswalk	Approach at a speed you can stop from; if someone is crossing, stop right before it
Rail crossing	Stop right before it, open the window and look both ways; no gear changes on the tracks in a manual
S-bend and crank	Go slowly; if a wheel goes off, stop at once and back up
Hill start	Pull away without rolling back
Passing an obstacle	Signal and check before moving out, leave enough clearance

When to start practising, and test-day tips

Start practising before your knowledge test. Gifu Police say first-time applicants take the knowledge test in the morning and the practical test from the afternoon, so in some areas the practical test is on the same day. In Tokyo, by contrast, the Metropolitan Police (警視庁) say the practical test is usually about 3–4 months after the booking date.

Niigata Police warn that you may be turned away if your clothing is not suitable for driving, that tests can be cancelled on the day for bad weather, and that the whole course is treated as a public road. Avoid sandals, and follow the same rules on the course as on the road.

To reach the practical test you must first pass the knowledge test (知識確認, 45 of 50 correct). While you wait for driving-school slots, menkyopass practice exams (50 questions in 30 minutes like the real test, in Vietnamese, English, Chinese and Japanese) help you lock in Japan's traffic rules, which also makes the purpose of each check in the practical test easier to understand.

FAQ

Q. Can I practise on Japanese roads with my foreign licence?

A. Not with a foreign licence alone. Unless you hold an international permit valid in Japan and are within 1 year of landing, it is unlicensed driving (up to 3 years' imprisonment or a fine of up to 500,000 yen).

Q. Where can I see the course map for the practical test?

A. It depends on the prefecture. Niigata and Gifu Police publish PDFs on their websites. Check the site of the prefectural police where you will take the test.

Q. How much does practice at a driving school cost?

A. Prices vary by school and there is no official guide. Ask the school directly, and confirm you can practise in the same AT or MT car type as your test.

Q. What if I am not confident driving a manual?

A. If you apply for an AT-only licence, you take the practical test in an automatic (NPA guidelines). The licence you get will then be AT-only.