Tricky questions on the Japanese driving licence written test

Updated 8 October 2026

The written test rarely asks anything extremely hard. Points are usually lost to one small word, a number that looks almost the same or an exception that the learner forgot. Below are the traps ViMai sees most often while writing questions, grouped by theme, each with a way to recognise it.

5main groups of traps
14look-alike sign groups in the app
2correct answers in a row to count as fixed

Group 1: signals and giving way

Green is not an order. Green means you may go, not that you must. You still have to look before you move.
Flashing red and flashing yellow are different. Flashing red means stop at the stop position, check it is safe, then go. Flashing yellow does not require a stop: you may proceed, with care.
A vehicle that has already turned may carry on despite a red for its new direction, but must not obstruct traffic moving on green.
Give way to emergency vehicles from any direction, not just from behind. Near an intersection, if you have not entered, stop on the left before it; if you are already in, drive out and then keep left. Stopping on the spot inside the intersection is wrong.
A right-turning vehicle gives way, even if it entered first. Entering first gives no priority.

Group 2: speeds and numbers

A moped may never exceed 30 km/h, even where the sign says 50. A 50 sign lets cars do 50, but mopeds stay at 30.
Roads without a centre line, lane markings or median: from 1 September 2026 the legal maximum is 30 km/h. Where there is a centre line, lane markings or a median and no sign, the legal limit is 60 km/h for cars and motorcycles.
Turn signals and lane-change signals use different units: a turn is measured in metres (30 m) and a lane change in seconds (about 3).
The provisional licence lasts 6 months, not 1 year. A driving school graduation certificate is the one that lasts 1 year.
Stopping distance figures are for a passenger car on dry asphalt. On a slippery road the distance is longer.

Group 3: overtaking, lane changes and where things are banned

A solid or a broken white line does not by itself ban a lane change. Yellow is what signals the ban.
If the vehicle ahead is overtaking a motor vehicle, that is double overtaking and you must not overtake. If it is overtaking only a bicycle, it is not.
Tunnels ban overtaking, except tunnels with marked traffic lanes.
Pass a tram on its left, and a car on its right. Only when the tracks run along the left edge may you pass a tram on the right.
Signalling does not give you priority: even with the indicator on, you may not change lanes if the car behind would have to brake hard.

When you get a question wrong, the app explains exactly where the trap was and puts it in your review list.

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Group 4: stopping and parking

This topic has the most numbers. The common traps are mixing up stopping with parking, mixing up 5 m with 10 m and believing that "no sign means you can park as long as you like". Leaving the car so that you cannot drive off at once is already parking, even for a few minutes, and loading for more than 5 minutes is parking too. Stopping and parking are banned within 5 m of an intersection, a road corner and a crosswalk; at a railway crossing and near a bus stop the distance is 10 m. All of it is gathered on no stopping and no parking rules.

Group 5: signs that look alike

Many signs differ by one stroke, and exams love to ask about exactly that stroke:

Look-alike pair	The difference to remember
Road closed and no vehicles	Road closed also bans pedestrians and trams; no vehicles bans vehicles only.
No parking and no stopping	One slash bans parking (a short stop is fine); the X bans both stopping and parking.
Bus priority lane and exclusive bus lane	You may enter a priority lane but must leave it when a route bus approaches; you may not enter an exclusive lane.
A sign with or without its plate	A supplementary plate can change the meaning completely, such as a horn zone.

More on Japanese road signs. The app has 14 groups of look-alike signs, each with a comparison table and a look-alike pairs quiz.

How to defend against traps

Read to the end, especially "only", "always", "never" and "even if". But do not guess blindly by word: "a red light means you must stop" is still true.
Ask "where is the exception?" before you mark an absolute statement true.
Learn numbers in pairs. Put 5 m next to 10 m and 30 m next to 3 seconds.
Review mistakes several times on different days, and check the newest rules so an old rule does not trap you.

Frequently asked questions

Is a statement with the word "always" always false?

Not necessarily. Absolute statements are often false because the law has exceptions, but some are true, such as that you must stop at a red light. Check each one against the rule instead of guessing by word.

Why do I keep mixing up the numbers?

Many figures look alike (5 m, 10 m, 30 m, 3 seconds) and tests often change just one. Learn them in groups, compare them side by side and redo wrong answers on different days.

Do trick questions appear on the real test?

Questions that demand careful reading of every word are common in true/false tests. ViMai writes its own questions against current law rather than copying real exams, but it builds these kinds of traps into its explanations.