"Ryan Ginstrom" <ginstrom@hotmail.com> wrote in message
news:c6pi9b$epu5h$1@ID-101276.news.uni-berlin.de...
>
> "necoandjeff" <spam@schrepfer.com> wrote in message
> news:suXjc.57606$Xi2.44411@newssvr25.news.prodigy.com...
> > "Ryan Ginstrom" <ginstrom@hotmail.com> wrote in message
> > news:c6pc8b$elftd$1@ID-101276.news.uni-berlin.de...
> >
> > <snip>
> >
> > So the rumor is true then. Gaijin can no longer take their (for example)
> > U.S. drivers license and do a simple kakikae anymore as I did about 12
> years
> > ago.
>
> Those days are over I'm afraid. Unless you are lucky enough to be from one
> of those countries with a reciprocal agreement with Japan -- the US ain't
> one of them.
>
> > I'll be moving back to Japan in about 6 months and I have a Japanese
> drivers
> > license that expired about 5 or 6 years ago after I returned to the U.S.
I
> > have heard that it is possible to go to the license office with your old
> > expired license and, if you plead with them enough (and bow deeply
enough)
> > you can get them to renew it. Anyone have any experience with this? I
> really
> > want to avoid having to go through this driving test nonsense
considering
> I
> > already have about a 7 year history of being a licensed driver in Japan.
>

The local JETs were all moaning about NOT being able to drive for more than
3 months on their IDPs last year.  Those that wanted to drive seemed to be
able to take a specially 'reduced' examination.  I don't know the exact
details - I will attempt to communicate with one of them who has a more than
rudimentary command of the English language.

--
jonathan