Can I Drive in Japan with a US Driver’s License?

You can only drive in Japan with a US license if you have an International Driving Permit (IDP) to supplement it. 

Japan is one of the strictest countries in the world when it comes to enforcing the requirement to have an official International Driving Permit, so do not try to drive in Japan with only your license and no IDP. You will not be able to rent a car without one, and if you’re caught driving if you don’t have an IDP, you may face a fine and you may not be allowed to drive away from the traffic stop.

Official IDPs can only be issued by AAA in the United States. You can either get your IDP directly from AAA or from Fast IDP, which can speed up the process by shipping your IDP to you more quickly than AAA if you can’t get to a AAA branch in person. 

We wrote a longer blog post about driving in Japan here that lays out the details for ways to apply for an IDP, and also discusses other topics related to driving in Japan. Check it out!

Feel free to reach out to us if you have any questions about driving in Japan - our contact info is at the bottom of every page on our website.