Valid Driver's License in Japan

Foreign driver's licenses valid in Japan

If you have a driver's license issued in Switzerland, Germany, France, Belgium, Monaco, or Taiwan, you may drive a car or other vehicle in Japan in accordance with Japanese laws and regulations by carrying the Japanese translation of your license.
You may drive for a period of one year from the date of your landing in Japan or the validity period of your driver's license, whichever is shorter.
However, if you are recorded on the Japanese Basic Resident Registration Card and you re-enter Japan within 3 months of your departure from Japan, the date of re-entry is not considered the date of landing (the starting date of your driving expiration period in Japan).

The translation you carry is not valid if translated by yourself.
A Japanese translation prepared by a person designated by government ordinance (embassy, consulate, JAF, etc.) is required.

International Driving Permit

If you have an international driver's license issued under the Convention on Road Traffic (Geneva Convention of September 19, 1949), you may drive for a period of one year from the date of your landing in Japan or the validity period of your driver's license, whichever is shorter.

However, if you are recorded on the Japanese Basic Resident Registration Card and you re-enter Japan within 3 months of your departure from Japan, the date of re-entry is not considered the date of landing (the starting date of your driving expiration period in Japan).