Where do you get a driver's license in Japan?

Question

If you go to apply for a driver's license in japan, do you go to a office for each province? or are they a federal/national affair?

Is there a different driver's license for each province?

Thanks!

Answer 1

There's only national driver license but each prefectures provide issuing/exam service. There are basically three way to get a license. 1. Go to driving school, pass the driving test of its school and pass the written exam at the public driver's license center. 2. Directly go to driver's license center and pass the driving/written exam, in this case driving exam is very severe, if you cross the stop line for 1 inch without stopping, exam is over and you're failed. I have experienced this... Both driving exam of 1 and 2 include closed track and public road. 3. Some foreign license can be changed to Japanese one. Some of them are exempted from certain exam.