moped/scooter license?

Do you need a license from your home country to get one or can you just get a moped/scooter permit in Japan? I'm pretty sure they don't require a full drivers license as most of my friends in Japan had scooters and didn't have full licenses but I want to be sure before going to Japan as I don't have a US license... or permit even.

Do you need a license from your home country to get one or can you just get a moped/scooter permit in Japan? I'm pretty sure they don't require a full drivers license as most of my friends in Japan had scooters and didn't have full licenses but I want to be sure before going to Japan as I don't have a US license... or permit even.

Are you travelling or living in Japan? If you are travelling then you need to have an International Drivers Permit in which case you can only legally drive what you can legally drive in your home country.

If you are living in Japan then you can drive a scooter (50cc and under) using a regular Japanese Driver's license (for cars). There is also a seperate scooter license that can be obtained by taking a training class at the traffic center. Both licenses require at least a day at the traffic center and resident status.

Note that you are not legal to drive 50cc scooters when using International Driving Permit + overseas license unless you are specifically licensed for motorcycles, and this is noted on your International Driving Permit.

Further, your International Driving Permit must be legitimate (not one of the many fraudulent look-alikes available on the internet), and you can only use it for a maximum of one year from arriving in Japan.