Japan on a Swedish Licence — Geneva IDP, Left-Hand Roads & the Alcohol Reversal

For a Swedish driver, Japan’s licence rules are reassuringly simple. Sweden signed the 1949 Geneva Convention — the only foreign-permit treaty Japan recognises — so an ordinary International Driving Permit is accepted alongside your Swedish licence, with no official Japanese translation needed. That is the route Swiss and German visitors don’t get. Carry the Geneva IDP, your licence and your passport together; it covers stays of up to 12 months and must be sorted in Sweden, as Japan issues none. The Driving Permit Checker confirms it quickly.

The real adjustment is the side of the road — and there’s a small irony here. Sweden switched from left to right in 1967; Japan never did, so you are heading back to the side your grandparents drove on. Japan drives on the left. Decades of right-hand habit make the first hour the risky one: turns into the wrong lane, glances the wrong way, and the wipers swishing when you reach to indicate (the stalks are mirrored). Take the car somewhere quiet first and be deliberate at every junction.

Alcohol is the surprise. Japan’s limit is 0.03 BAC — looser than Sweden’s strict 0.02 — but do not relax. Japanese enforcement is among the toughest anywhere: heavy fines, immediate licence confiscation, detention for higher readings, and penalties even for passengers who knowingly ride with an over-limit driver. Keep it at zero before you drive.

Speeds are gentle after Swedish standards: 40 km/h in towns, 60 rural, 100 on the expressways. Those motorways are excellent but tolled, so request an ETC card with the rental. Cameras are common, and a 10 km/h overspeed runs about JPY 9,000 (≈ €55) plus a point — estimate yours with the Speeding Fine Calculator.

Petrol is roughly $1.35/litre, police are on 110 (119 ambulance and fire), and leave the warning triangle in the boot. See our Japan driving guide for the full set of rules.