Can a South Korean Drive in Japan? — IDP Required, Side Switches Left
South Korea
Japan
You cannot drive from Korea to Japan, since the sea separates them, but you can rent a car once you land, with a 1949 Geneva IDP issued in Korea and carried with your Korean licence; the licence alone is not accepted. Japan drives on the left, Korea on the right.
Driving from Korea to Japan is not possible: no road, bridge or tunnel links the two, and the Korea Strait sits in between. What Korean travellers actually do is fly or sail across and rent a car on arrival. For that you need one document from home. Japan accepts a Korean licence only when it travels with an International Driving Permit in the 1949 Geneva format, issued in Korea before you leave. With it, you may drive for up to one year from landing.
The permit Japan accepts
Japan’s National Police Agency recognises Geneva permits only, and the Tokyo Metropolitan Police include the Republic of Korea on their list of countries whose permits are valid. Three things follow:
- The Korean licence card on its own will be refused at the rental counter.
- The IDP cannot be issued once you are in Japan, so missing it at home ends the plan.
- At every check you show the IDP, the Korean licence and your passport together.
Everything mirrored
Korea drives on the right and Japan on the left. The steering wheel moves to the right side of the car, a right turn crosses oncoming traffic, and the instinct to look left first when pulling out is now the wrong one. Expect the mistakes in quiet places rather than busy ones: a convenience-store car park, an empty side street, the first junction after a service area. Collect the car away from central Tokyo or Osaka if your route allows, and slow down at every turn for the first day.
Speed limits read lower than at home
Korean drivers are used to 50 km/h in town. In Japan, ordinary roads default to 60 km/h unless signed, but that headline number hides two lower ones. Roads without a centre line are limited to 30 km/h, and from September 2026 narrow residential roads default to 30 km/h as well. Expressways run at 100 km/h, rising to 120 km/h on designated sections of the Shin-Tomei, Tohoku and Joban expressways, which matches Korea’s own designated 120 routes.
Read the signs constantly. Small roads change limit often, and many signs away from main routes are only in Japanese, so set the car’s map display to Korean before departure.
What a mistake costs in yen
Japan fines by how far over the limit you are. For an ordinary car:
| Over the limit | Fine |
|---|---|
| Under 15 km/h | JPY 9,000 |
| 16-20 km/h | JPY 12,000 |
| 21-25 km/h | JPY 15,000 |
| 26-30 km/h | JPY 18,000 |
| 31-35 km/h | JPY 25,000 |
Beyond that the matter leaves the fine system entirely. On ordinary roads, 30 km/h over is a criminal case, and on expressways the threshold is 40 km/h over.
Other offences, set against what you would pay at home:
| Offence | Korea | Japan |
|---|---|---|
| Phone in hand | KRW 70,000 + 15 points | JPY 18,000 + 3 points |
| Red light | KRW 60,000 + 15 points | JPY 9,000 + 2 points |
| No seatbelt | KRW 30,000 | Warning / 1 point |
The seatbelt line looks lenient, but points still go on record.
Alcohol: the same number, a harder line
Both countries set 0.03% blood alcohol, according to the WHO road safety profiles. The figure is familiar; the enforcement culture in Japan is strict and penalties are severe. Do not drink at all before driving, including the night before an early start.
In the car and on the phone
Japan’s rules expect a warning triangle in the car, as Korea’s do, mainly for breakdowns on expressways. Check that the rental has one. Expressway tolls add up on long journeys, so budget for them. For emergencies, dial 110 for police, not 112 as in Korea, and 119 for an ambulance or fire, the same as home.
Confirm your permit with the Driving Permit Checker and read the wider rules in our Japan driving guide.
Sources
- National Police Agency, Q&A for international driving permit holders (1949 Geneva permits only, one year from landing): npa.go.jp
- Tokyo Metropolitan Police, Geneva Convention countries whose permits are valid (Republic of Korea listed): keishicho.metro.tokyo.lg.jp
- Tokyo Metropolitan Police, traffic offence fine table (ordinary car: speeding under 15 km/h over JPY 9,000; phone held JPY 18,000): keishicho.metro.tokyo.lg.jp
- WHO Global status report on road safety 2023, Japan profile (0.03 g/dl; 60/100 km/h): who.int
- WHO Global status report on road safety 2023, Republic of Korea profile (0.03 g/dl): who.int
- UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, Japan travel advice (emergency numbers 110 and 119): gov.uk
Speed limits, fines, equipment & license requirements
Your home country driving rules for reference
Side-by-side driving rules comparison
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Frequently Asked Questions
No. There is no road, bridge or tunnel between the two countries; the Korea Strait lies between them. Travellers fly or take a ferry and then rent a car in Japan, which requires a 1949 Geneva International Driving Permit issued in Korea, carried with your Korean licence and passport.
Only together with an International Driving Permit. Japan's National Police Agency accepts permits issued under the 1949 Geneva Convention, and the Tokyo police list the Republic of Korea among the countries whose permits count. Get the IDP in Korea before travelling; it cannot be issued in Japan.
No. Korea drives on the right; Japan drives on the left. The driver's seat, junction turns and the first look before pulling out all flip, so take the first kilometres somewhere quiet.
0.03% blood alcohol in Japan, the same figure Korea uses, according to the WHO road safety profiles of both countries. Japanese penalties are severe, so the only safe plan is not to drink at all before driving.