Man arrested after driving wrong way on expressway, hitting multiple vehicles

More evidence that we must make foreigners take the FULL Japanese driving course rather than a simple conversion.

In the drive recorder view from one of the cars, the truck looked as if it had been tailgating the car in front, or not watching the road, as the car was moving quite slowly, and still got hit in the rear.

Just the usual highway driving...with addition of an idiot coming the wrong way.

More evidence that we must make foreigners take the FULL Japanese driving course rather than a simple conversion.

Japan does not have a bilateral agreement with Peru for drivers license conversions. The culprit was either driving without a valid license, using an international drivers license, or had gone through the full licensing process Japanese people have to.

Grok had this to say:

Citizens of Peru cannot simply convert their home driver's license to a Japanese one when taking residence in Japan. Japan has bilateral agreements with certain countries that allow for direct conversion without additional tests, but Peru is not one of them. Therefore, Peruvian license holders fall into the group that must complete additional steps to convert their license.

To convert a Peruvian driver's license to a Japanese one, you must meet the following requirements:

Valid License: The Peruvian driver's license must be valid and not expired.

Residency Proof: You must prove you resided in Peru for at least three months after obtaining your license, typically through passport stamps, utility bills, or other official documents like university transcripts or work pay stubs.

Translation: The Peruvian license must be translated into Japanese by the Japan Automobile Federation (JAF) or, in some cases, an embassy or consulate. This costs around ¥3,000–¥4,000 and can take up to two weeks if done by mail or in person.

Required Documents: You need to provide:

The original Peruvian driver’s license (and a copy).

Official Japanese translation of the license.

Passport (and any expired passports) to prove residency duration in Peru.

Certificate of Residence (Jumin-hyo) issued within the last six months, showing nationality and visa status.

A passport-style photograph (3cm x 2.4cm, taken within six months).

Any additional documents proving residency in Peru, if requested by the licensing center.

Tests: You will need to pass:

An aptitude test (vision, hearing, and sometimes physical tasks).

A written test (typically 10 true/false questions on Japanese traffic rules, available in English or other languages).

A practical driving test on an enclosed course at a Driver’s License Center, which assesses adherence to Japanese driving standards (e.g., precise maneuvers like S-curves or crank turns).

Application Process: Apply at the Driver’s License Center in your prefecture of residence. Some centers require appointments, especially for the aptitude and driving tests, and wait times can be long due to high demand. Procedures vary by prefecture, so contact the local center for specific requirements.

Additional Notes:

The process can take 3 weeks to 2 months and cost ¥10,000–¥20,000, including translation and test fees.

Taking a few practice lessons at a driving school (¥3,000–¥7,000 per hour) is recommended to prepare for the practical test, which is known for being strict and standardized.

If you have limited Japanese proficiency (JLPT N4 or below), consider bringing a Japanese-speaking friend or contacting a consultation center for assistance during the interview or document submission.

The license must be converted within one year of arriving in Japan, as international driving permits or foreign licenses are only valid for 12 months from your last entry or the license issuance date, whichever is shorter.

For the most accurate and up-to-date information, contact the Driver’s License Center in your prefecture or visit the Japan Automobile Federation (JAF) website for translation details.

I'm thinking he did a U-turn at a toll gate and tried to get off the highway so as not to pay the toll.

Another one for jail time, compensation payments and finally deportation.

The use of an IDP is determined by the same agreements. An IDP is a very cheap very limited International license.

The Expressways need emergency signs to stop all traffic in these very dangerous situations, just as they do with serious accidents.

Plenty of Japanese drive the wrong way at times, usually due to being elderly and confused.

Seems a clear case of panic, lost his ability to manage his decision making for far too long. Certainly not an evil criminal, but rather someone lacking driving 'talent'

Probably most have been in a car as a passenger and quietly thought to our self "can you believe how terrible this driver is?!" That was this driver too, there all around!

OK, so I get accidentally going the wrong way, everybody screws up sometimes…but to KEEP GOING the WRONG WAY ? @100KPH?

Drunk ? Drugs? I want to hear this one

Yes I understand Peruvians drives on the right side of the road. However, 10 km, is along way to drive without noticing other drivers are avoiding head on collisions, and no other vehicles following you behind.

The_Beagle

Grok had this to say:

The license must be converted within one year of arriving in Japan, as international driving permits or foreign licenses are only valid for 12 months from your last entry or the license issuance date, whichever is shorter.

As is often the case, AI is not entirely correct. You don't need to convert your regular foreign license within a year. As long as it hasn't expired, and you lived in the country of issuance for at least three months while you were licensed, you can convert it to a JP license.

Otherwise, Grok was correct on all counts.

The_Beagle

Japan does not have a bilateral agreement with Peru for drivers license conversions. The culprit was either driving without a valid license, using an international drivers license, or had gone through the full licensing process Japanese people have to.

Not entirely correct. If the driver converted a Peru driver's license, he would have only had to take a short 10-question test and a closed-course driving test. The full process for residents applying from scratch includes a much longer written test, and two driving tests - closed course and public roads.

Both require vision and color recognition tests.

For all the comments and detailed information about being able to or not able to convert a Peruvian license to a Japanese one is irrelevant. This is all about not driving the wrong way on the expressway and then trying to get away.

@The_Beagle

Please keep in mind, he is Peruvian but he might has European driving license or other driving license that can be easily converted to Japanese license without any test.

No type of drivers license or conversion instantly confers common sense or situational awareness.

99.99% of car crashes are caused by licensed drivers.

Peter Neil

No type of drivers license or conversion instantly confers common sense or situational awareness.

99.99% of car crashes are caused by licensed drivers.

Your cited "statistic" is a bit hyperbolic. But, your main point is quite valid.

I'm driving more than 10 years in Japan, never made a mistake on the highway, never made a mistake with break or acceleration.

Whether this person has no driving licence or never drove before.

But driving 10 km on the wrong side causing accidents show the lack of intelligence.

This will be an expensive drive because insurance will not pay anything.

We’ve all been there.

In the photo you see him driving on the left of that section of highway. Did he think he was actually being ‘correct’ for Japanese roads?

Anything is possible without further detail, but as HSE says above it is usually Japanese drivers doing this. The fact that he is Peruvian is unusual, but his nationality may not be much of a causal factor.

High or Drunk??

By the way Tailgating is the NORM in Japan, especially on the expressways. Scarry as hell when a truck comes at you from behinds as if he is about to shove you off the expressway and yet NO ONE seems to think it's okay.

The_BeagleToday  05:32 pm JST

More evidence that we must make foreigners take the FULL Japanese driving course rather than a simple conversion.

Japan does not have a bilateral agreement with Peru for drivers license conversions. The culprit was either driving without a valid license, using an international drivers license, or had gone through the full licensing process Japanese people have to.

Wrong. No bilateral Agreement is needed for any country for 外面切り替え。

The nations that do have bilateral agreements, such as Germany, France, the UK, South Korea, Switzerland, and quite a few others allow waiving the written and driving tests. For the U.S. only the States of Colorado, Hawaii,Maryland,Ohio,Oregon,Virginia and Washington have such an agreement with Japan.

A valid Pervian D/L can absolutely be converted to Japanese D/L but would require taking the written and driving test.

I taught gaijin to convert at a driving school for a while.

Oh I see "grok" corrected your initial post. lol

Wo, that could’ve been waaaaaaaaay waaaaaaaaaaaay worse.

@Albert Does never made a mistake on the highway include driving over the posted speed limit? I guess you would not call that a mistake until you got pulled over for speeding. BTW you've made several spelling errors OK that's a mistake.

*I'm driving more than 10 years in Japan, never made a mistake on the highway, never made a mistake with break or acceleration. Whether this person has no driving licence or never drove before. But driving 10 km on the wrong side causing accidents show the lack of intelligence.*

Opening sentence "he ALLEGEDLY drove his car the wrong way on an expressway..."

There is plenty footage across TV channels that he was DEFINITELY driving the wrong way. What is wrong with JT is that the legal team is so scared of lawsuits that they have to put ALLEGEDLY in, just in case the driver was correct and everyone else on the motorway was driving the wrong way?

SMH

Another nutcase causing carnage.

A foreigner driving the wrong way on an expressway is most unusual and this case could even be unique. Far more often Japanese do it and they tend to have taken the full driving test. Usually when a Japanese does it, there is a comment about road design being confusing.

Perhaps the Japanese driving test should include how to do a handbrake turn although many Japanese cars do not seem to have a proper handbrake. A handbrake turn is rather difficult when the handbrake has been replaced by a foot-operated parking brake.

It's refreshing to see the honesty of Japanese media reports. In the US, this man would have been simply identified as "a Nagahama man".

This is a fine example of the type of foreigner Japan does not need. Just not worth the risk having him here.

The drive recorder footage is crazy. Here’s one clip where he bumps into two cars while trying to squeeze through them:

https://x.com/hst_tvasahi/status/1924467662115185113?s=46&t=AdVPgQEWYkNX3Vb6e3PPig

He had plenty of opportunities to make a u-turn or pull over on the shoulder. This fool is lucky he didn’t hit kill anyone.

Jail and deport!!!!..

The man drove the wrong way intentionally.

after one stopped

that person should also be arrested. You don’t stop. You move over to the left or right and get out of the way. The driver who stopped was not paying attention.

Most likely the driver panic and became confused under the stress; thus, the driver attempted to flee without noticing the safer ways to exit.

Too bad there are no highway shoulders to park the car

Looks like the police share Wesley's (first commenter) opinion. The National Police are going to look into changing rules for changing foreign licenses to Japanese licenses. Below article was posted just 3 hours ago.

https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20250521/k10014812071000.html

The law does need tightening up, so this could be a good excuse to address the issue.

So many visitors have been getting around the system, and there are some downright dangerous drivers loose on the roads. I’ve heard it’s particularly bad in Okinawa.