Traffic

　To convert a driver’s license issued in a foreign country into a Japanese driver’s license, you must bring your foreign resident registration card, passport, driver’s license (Requirements: Must have the date of issue written on it; the driver must have lived in that country for three months or longer after the date of issue; a Japanese translation of the driver’s license) and one photo ID (3 cm x 2.4 cm), and complete the necessary procedures at the Driver’s License Test Center.
　International driver’s licenses are valid in Japan for one year after the date of their issue. At the end of that period, they must be converted to a Japanese driver’s license.

　Inquiries: Fuchu Driver’s License Test Center 1-1, Tamacho 3-chome, Fuchu City Tel: 042-362-3591

　If a driver causes a traffic accident or violates traffic regulations, he/she must pay a fine accordingly, and his/her license may consequently be annulled or revoked under a point system.
　Please pay particular attention to the following rules:

(1)Drive on the left side of the road.

(2)Everyone in the car is required by law to wear a seat belt.

(3)When a child who is less than six years of age is riding in a car, he/she is required by law to use a child seat.

(4)If a car is parked on the street, it is considered illegally parked and may be towed away.
The Japan Automobile Federation (JAF) offers for sale a handbook related to Japanese traffic laws and regulations in English and some other foreign languages. JAF provides various services on a membership basis, such as road service in the event of an accident.

　Inquiries: Japan Automobile Federation (JAF),

　Inside the Automobile Association’s Building, 1-30,

　Daimon 1-chome, Minato-ku, Tel: 03-3436-2811

　If you enroll in one of two plans―the “A” plan with an annual fee of ￥1,000 or the “B” plan with an annual fee of ￥500― and if you are involved in a traffic accident and injured anywhere in Japan, you can receive benefits ranging from ￥20,000 to a maximum of ￥3,000,000 for a death. To enroll, you must live in the city and have completed registration procedures in the city either as a Japanese or foreign resident.
Application forms are available at the Mizuho Bank branch located on the first floor of Mitaka Municipal Office, at any branch city office, or at designated financial institutions in the city.

　City Traffic Management Subsection, Road and City Traffic Management Section, City Improvement Department (ext. 2883)