The pass rate is just over 3%. Results from Mie Prefecture following the stricter requirements for foreign license conversion have been announced.

Since last month, the requirements for converting a foreign driver’s license to a Japanese license, so-called “foreign license conversion,” have been made stricter. The number of questions on the “knowledge confirmation” test increased from 10 to 50, the required pass rate was raised to over 90%, and the “skills confirmation” practical driving test also became more stringent.

According to Mie Prefectural Police, out of 87 people who took the test last month when the stricter rules began, only 3 passed, resulting in a pass rate of approximately 3.4%. This is a sharp drop from the approximately 73.5% pass rate recorded throughout last year.

In Aichi Prefecture as well, while the pass rate for the “knowledge confirmation” test was 94.3% up until September this year, it fell to 34.9% last month. The pass rate for the “skills confirmation” test also decreased from 28% to 24.2%.

Aichi Prefectural Police Headquarters

Mie Prefecture

Mie Prefecture is a central Japanese region historically known as the seat of power for the Ise Grand Shrine, one of Shinto’s most sacred sites. It is also famous as the home of the Iga ninja, with a legacy of ninja clans and their preserved villages. Today, the prefecture remains a major pilgrimage destination and is renowned for its cultured pearls from Ago Bay.

Aichi Prefecture

Aichi Prefecture, located in central Japan, is a major industrial and cultural hub historically known as the home of the powerful Owari and Mikawa samurai clans. It is most famous for housing Nagoya Castle, built in the early 17th century by the Tokugawa shogunate, and for being the headquarters of the Toyota Motor Corporation. The region also preserves traditional arts such as Noritake porcelain and has a rich festival culture.