Pass the Japan driving licence test — in English

Who it is for

English speakers taking the Japanese driving test for the first time, converting a foreign driving licence at a Japanese licence centre, or preparing the 50-question conversion exam.

What you can practise

Chapter lessons, timed mock exams that mirror the real format, Japanese road-sign trainer, mistake review, and study plans — available in 12 languages. Kageno, a small shadow study companion, cheers your right answers and explains the questions you miss.

Note

This is not an official police, JAF, or government service. Always confirm current procedures with your local licence centre.

What you can do in Menkyo Helper

• Drive Coach: your own practice road test

  Drive Coach builds a test-like practice course near you with the situations you choose (railway crossings, hills, signalled turns, stop signs), guides you by voice like an examiner and explains every mistake. Optional camera coach. Premium; free: 1 minute of Drive Coach a day, no account needed.

• Menkyo Helper Premium

  What Menkyo Helper Premium includes and what it costs: unlimited mock exams, on-road lesson videos, Drive Coach, the Menkyo Drive game free at launch, Kageno all day, offline chapters and no ads. From US$1.77 a week, cancel any time.

• Kageno, your shadow study companion

  Meet Kageno, the small shadow companion who studies with you for the Japanese driving licence: he cheers your right answers, explains the ones you miss, guides you through the app and chats with you in your language.

• Japanese road signs and their meanings

  All 154 key Japanese road signs and road markings with pictures and plain-English meanings: regulatory, warning, instruction signs and markings — for the karimen, honmen and licence-conversion written tests.

• Japanese driving licence glossary

  The 38 Japanese words you meet at the licence centre and in the written test — each with its reading, English meaning and a plain explanation.

• Foreign licence conversion by prefecture

  Foreign licence conversion (gaimen kirikae) in each of Japan’s 47 prefectures: licence centre, phone, documents to bring and knowledge-test languages, with official sources.

• Change your foreign licence to a Japanese driving licence

  How to change your foreign driving licence to a Japanese one: required documents, JAF translation, the 10-question knowledge check and 50-question exam, and free multilingual practice for the gaimen kirikae test.

• Pass the Japanese driving test — karimen and honmen

  Practise the Japanese driving-licence written exams in English: learner’s permit (karimen, 50 questions/30 min) and full licence (honmen, 95 questions/50 min), with road-sign training and timed mock exams. Free.

• Get a moped licence (原付) in Japan

  How to get a moped licence (原付) in Japan: the steps, the written test format, the documents to bring, fees and what to say when you book at the licence centre.

• Can't read your Japanese car documents? Scan them.

  Photograph your 車検証 (shaken certificate), the windshield sticker or the 自賠責 insurance certificate. Menkyo Helper reads the expiry dates, explains them in 12 languages and reminds you 60, 30 and 7 days ahead — for every car in the house. Free.