Driving schools train Vietnamese drivers to work in Japan

by TOMOYA AIE
May 15, 2025

Shiro Sogawa, president of Hirosawa Driving School, tours a driving school in Vietnam, where traffic signs are different from those in Japan, in November 2024. Think Three handout

TOKUSHIMA—To alleviate a nationwide driver shortage, a major driving school operator here is opening a road to Vietnam to supply a pool of foreign drivers to fill the openings.

But first, it has begun developing a curriculum to train Vietnamese drivers to work in Japan. Some of the differences between the two countries include the roads, where drivers drive on the left side in Japan instead of on the right, as in Vietnam.

In 2024, the central government decided to accept foreign workers to help alleviate the shortage of drivers in the taxi and transport industries.

In response, Tokushima-based Hirosawa Driving School formulated the project, aiming to enhance safety by having Vietnamese drivers learn Japanese traffic laws and driving manners before coming to Japan.

The company is also collaborating with a major driving school in Vietnam.

In February this year, Hirosawa Driving School, together with Hanyu Motor School in Hanyu, Saitama Prefecture, signed a basic strategic agreement with Van Thanh Group, a major driving school group in Vietnam.

The three companies will jointly develop curricula and train drivers to work in Japan.

Think Three Inc., an affiliate engaged in new business at Hirosawa Driving School, and Tetra Shift, an affiliate of Hanyu Motor School, will be responsible for the project.

The Japanese government opened its doors to foreign drivers in 2024 in response to growing concerns about a labor shortage following caps on overtime taking effect for bus, taxi and truck drivers.

In March 2024, the Cabinet added “automobile transportation” to the “specified technical skill 1” category of residence status.

According to the transport ministry, 24,500 foreign nationals are expected to be accepted in the category over a five-year period.

Foreign nationals who wish to work as drivers in Japan must first learn Japanese at a “sending organization” that serves as a bridge to employment, and must achieve a certain level on the Japanese language proficiency test.

After switching the driver's license in their home country to a Japanese one, they must also obtain a Type 2 driver’s license or other license appropriate for the type of vehicle they drive and pass a skills evaluation test administered by the Japanese government.

However, Yoshinobu Murase, 44, who is overseeing Think Three's overseas business and has worked for a Vietnamese company, believes that this is not enough.

“The differences between the two countries are significant not only in terms of rules, such as the difference in road signs and the left-right traffic division, but also in traffic manners, such as how to maintain a safe distance between vehicles and how to use the horn,” Murase said. “It is necessary for them to learn about these differences before coming to Japan.”

The curriculum to be developed in cooperation among the three Japanese and Vietnamese companies will include approximately 10 hours of classroom instruction on traffic laws and regulations in addition to the study at the sending institution.

Furthermore, about 10 hours of skills training in accordance with Japanese traffic rules and manners will be provided at Van Thanh driving schools, and the training will be supported by instructors from Hirosawa Driving School.

Think Three and Tetra Shift will also serve as “registered support organizations” for accepting specified skilled drivers.

The two companies will be commissioned by the businesses that will employ these Vietnamese in Japan, and will provide support for them after their arrival in Japan, such as converting their driver's licenses and providing support in terms of work and daily life.

They also plan to provide training to improve driving skills at Hirosawa Driving School and other facilities.

Instruction based on the curriculum will begin in June and, for the time being, the program aims to accept about 300 drivers per year.

Shiro Sogawa, 42, president of Hirosawa Driving School, said, “Many people may feel uneasy about foreign drivers working in Japan.”

He added: “Since the government has decided to accept them, foreign drivers will be driving all over Japan. It is necessary to put in place a system to ensure that they strictly observe Japanese traffic laws and manners. We would like to cooperate with driving schools nationwide.”

In March, the Next-generation Driving-school Co-creation Consortium, an organization of 190 driving schools of which Sogawa heads, launched a subcommittee for foreigners.

The organization is planning to consider traffic safety in a society where foreign nationals live together, Sogawa said.