Motorcycle license in Japan for foreigners: which class covers which bike, the 2025 125cc moped change, school vs direct test costs, and conversion.
To ride a motorcycle in Japan, foreigners need the license class that matches the bike: moped (原付), small motorcycle up to 125cc (小型限定普通二輪), regular motorcycle up to 400cc (普通二輪) or large motorcycle (大型二輪). Since April 1, 2025, a moped or car license also covers 125cc scooters limited to 4.0 kW. You can train at a driving school, test directly at a license center, or convert a foreign license. The minimum age is 16 (18 for large bikes), as of October 2026.
For a motorcycle license in Japan, foreigners follow the same rules as Japanese residents: you need the class that matches the bike. That means a moped (原付), small motorcycle up to 125cc, regular motorcycle up to 400cc or large motorcycle. Since April 1, 2025, a moped or car license also covers 125cc scooters limited to 4.0 kW. The minimum age is 16 (18 for large bikes), as of October 2026.
The National Police Agency (警察庁) sorts two-wheelers by engine size, and Tokyo police add the automatic-only (AT) versions:
| License | Bikes you can ride | Minimum age |
|---|---|---|
| Moped (原付免許, gentsuki) | Up to 50cc, or up to 125cc with output of 4.0 kW or less | 16 |
| Small motorcycle (小型限定普通二輪免許) | Up to 125cc | 16 |
| Regular motorcycle (普通二輪免許) | Up to 400cc | 16 |
| Large motorcycle (大型二輪免許) | No size limit | 18 |
Each motorcycle class also comes as an AT-only license (AT限定). Tokyo police say an AT license does not let you ride a manual bike. Under the Road Traffic Act, a large motorcycle license also covers regular motorcycles, and every motorcycle license covers mopeds.
Your status of residence (在留資格) doesn’t decide which class you can get. What the license center needs is a Japanese address on your certificate of residence (住民票), as for a car license.
Yes, a moped. The Road Traffic Act says a regular car license (普通免許) also covers mopeds (一般原動機付自転車), and Tokyo police repeat this on their conversion page. A car license does not cover any motorcycle above the moped class.
From November 2025, new emission rules make it hard to build 50cc mopeds, the NPA explains. So from April 1, 2025, two-wheelers up to 125cc whose maximum output is controlled to 4.0 kW or less count as mopeds. You can ride them on a moped license or a car license.
The NPA’s poster warns about two things:
There are two routes. You can train at a designated driving school (指定教習所) or take the tests directly at a license center (often called 一発試験, the “one-shot” test). If you already hold a foreign motorcycle license, a third route is conversion (see below).
School graduates skip the skills test at the center. Tokyo police say anyone who already holds a full first-class license (第一種免許), except a moped or small special license, also skips the written test. So if you have a Japanese car license, you take only the aptitude (eye) test at the center.
Tokyo police list these steps for regular and large motorcycles at the Fuchu (府中) and Samezu (鮫洲) centers, on weekdays only:
The fee is ¥6,900 per attempt (¥2,800 test, ¥1,750 test bike, ¥2,350 issuance). Each retest costs the test and bike fees again. The acquisition course costs ¥18,150 for a regular motorcycle and ¥18,450 for a large one. Some people are exempt from part or all of it, so ask when you apply.
The moped license is a written test only. In Tokyo it costs ¥3,950 (¥1,600 test, ¥2,350 issuance), then a ¥5,250 on-bike moped course (原付講習) after you pass. Wear long sleeves, long trousers and closed shoes; Tokyo provides the helmet. If you already have a car license, you don’t need a moped license at all.
School prices vary. As one example, Koyama Driving School in Tokyo, which runs English courses, lists these totals including tax as of October 2026:
| Course (Koyama) | No license held | With a car license |
|---|---|---|
| Small motorcycle, AT (125cc) | ¥245,740 (9 hours) | ¥158,950 (8 hours) |
| Small motorcycle, manual | ¥260,260 (12 hours) | ¥168,630 (10 hours) |
| Regular motorcycle, AT (400cc) | ¥274,780 (15 hours) | ¥183,150 (13 hours) |
| Regular motorcycle, manual | ¥294,140 (19 hours) | ¥202,510 (17 hours) |
The hours are riding lessons at the legal minimum. Extra lessons cost ¥4,840 an hour for small and regular motorcycles. Koyama has no motorcycle course at its Seijo branch. The NPA says an AT small-motorcycle course for car-license holders can be finished in 2 days at the shortest.
Koyama enrolls riders from 15 years and 10 months for small and regular motorcycles (17 years and 10 months for large), so you can start before your 16th birthday. Koyama also gives a preliminary test, such as lifting a fallen motorcycle.
The written test, yes. Tokyo offers first-class written tests, which include motorcycles, in 20 languages, including English, Vietnamese, Nepali, Indonesian, Tagalog, Urdu, Sinhala and Hindi. English, Chinese, Vietnamese, Nepali and Burmese run every weekday. The other 15 languages run on set days: Tuesday at Fuchu, Wednesday at Samezu, Thursday at Koto. The moped test comes in only 5 languages: English, Chinese, Vietnamese, Nepali and Burmese.
Lessons are harder. Koyama says most driving schools teach only in Japanese. Our list of English driving schools covers schools that teach in English. You can also practice the written rules with our free driving test practice.
Yes. Foreign license conversion (外免切替, gaimen kirikae) covers motorcycles on the same terms as cars: a valid foreign license, at least 3 months in total in the issuing country after you got it, and an address in Japan on your 住民票. Tokyo police set the minimum age at 16 for regular motorcycles.
Tokyo charges ¥2,800 to apply for categories other than cars, mopeds and medium or large vehicles (this “other” fee covers motorcycles), plus ¥2,350 to issue the license and ¥200 for each extra category. Unless your license is from one of the 29 exempt countries and regions, you take the 50-question knowledge test and a skills test. Kyoto police say the skills test uses one of 2 motorcycle courses since October 1, 2025. Documents, translations and booking are in our license conversion guide.
Tokyo’s page doesn’t say how your foreign license maps to the Japanese motorcycle classes. Ask the center which class you will get before you book.
The Road Traffic Act limits passengers (二人乗り) for new riders:
Tokyo police also note that two-wheelers of 125cc or less can’t use expressways. A small motorcycle license is fine for city riding but keeps you off the expressway. Mopeds, including new-standard ones, never carry passengers.
Points and fines for riders are covered in our guide to traffic tickets and license points. Every motorbike and moped also needs compulsory insurance (自賠責): see car insurance for foreigners.
More guides: convert a foreign driver’s license, English driving schools, driving camps (合宿免許) for foreigners, international driving permit in Japan and bicycle rules in Japan.
You need at least a moped (原付) license, but a Japanese regular car license (普通免許) already includes mopeds. Since April 1, 2025 that covers 125cc scooters whose maximum output is 4.0 kW or less. Faster 125cc bikes need a motorcycle license.
16 for a moped or regular motorcycle (普通二輪, up to 400cc), and 18 for a large motorcycle (大型二輪), under the Road Traffic Act.
Yes, through foreign license conversion (外免切替), on the same conditions as a car license: a valid license, 3 months in the issuing country after you got it, and a 住民票. Tokyo charges ¥2,800 to apply for categories other than car, moped and medium or large vehicles (motorcycles included), plus ¥2,350 to issue.
The written test for full licenses, including motorcycles, is offered in 20 languages in Tokyo, English included. The moped written test is in 5 languages: English, Chinese, Vietnamese, Nepali and Burmese. Most driving schools teach only in Japanese.
At a Tokyo driving school with an English course, a 400cc automatic course costs ¥183,150 if you already hold a car license, as of October 2026. Testing directly in Tokyo costs ¥6,900 per attempt plus an ¥18,150 course once you pass.
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Photo: whoracledoll / CC BY-SA 3.0
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