Japan's criminal limit is 0.15 mg/L of breath alcohol, fines reach ¥1,000,000, and passengers who knew can be charged too. What visiting drivers need to know.
Japan's Road Traffic Act bans driving after drinking any alcohol, and criminal penalties start at 0.15 mg of alcohol per litre of breath, roughly 0.03% blood alcohol. Above that line a driver faces up to 3 years in prison or a fine of up to ¥500,000; a driver found to be drunk faces up to 5 years or ¥1,000,000. Passengers who knew the driver had been drinking, and anyone who lent the car or served the alcohol, can be prosecuted too (National Police Agency).
The law forbids driving with any alcohol in your body. Criminal penalties apply in two tiers:
For comparison, the breath limit in England and Wales is 0.35 mg/L, and Australia's is 0.05% blood alcohol. Japan's line is less than half the UK's, and drinking below it is still against the law, so the only safe plan is not to drink at all if you are driving.
| Who | Drunk driving | Under the influence (0.15 mg/L+) |
|---|---|---|
| Driver | Up to 5 years or ¥1,000,000 | Up to 3 years or ¥500,000 |
| Person who lent the car | Up to 5 years or ¥1,000,000 | Up to 3 years or ¥500,000 |
| Passenger who knew, or person who served the alcohol | Up to 3 years or ¥500,000 | Up to 2 years or ¥300,000 |
Source: National Police Agency. If a crash injures or kills someone, separate offences apply with far longer sentences, and the July 2026 revision added the same 0.5 mg/L standard to the dangerous-driving offence (Bengo54).
Yes, if they knew. Under the Road Traffic Act it is an offence to ask or arrange to be driven by someone you know has been drinking, and the penalty is up to 3 years or ¥500,000. A passenger who genuinely did not know is not covered. The same rule reaches the bar or friend who serves drinks to someone they know will drive, and the person who hands over the car keys is treated like the driver.
Drink driving also costs points on the administrative side, separate from the criminal case:
| Offence | Points | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Under the influence, 0.15 to under 0.25 mg/L | 13 | Licence suspended for 90 days |
| Under the influence, 0.25 mg/L or more | 25 | Licence revoked, no new licence for 2 years |
| Drunk driving | 35 | Licence revoked, no new licence for 3 years |
Visitors driving on an International Driving Permit can be banned from driving in Japan in the same way.
The figures sometimes repeated online, such as a "$10,000 fine" or an automatic "permanent ban from Japan", are not what the law says. The real risks are arrest, time in custody while police investigate, and a criminal record. Under the Immigration Control Act, a prison sentence of one year or more is one of the grounds for refusing someone entry to Japan in future, so a serious case can affect later trips. Your travel insurance is also unlikely to cover a crash while over the limit.
Only if the alcohol has gone, and that takes longer than most people expect. The test measures what is in your breath when you are stopped, not when you drank. A late night in the izakaya followed by an early drive to the lifts is a common way for skiers to get caught out. If you will drive in the morning, stop drinking early or leave the car.
Before you rent, read our guides to renting a car and Japanese road rules and winter tyres and snow driving, and check road conditions on our winter traffic page.
No. Driving with any alcohol in your body is prohibited. Criminal penalties start at 0.15 mg/L of breath alcohol, but driving below that is still illegal.
Yes. Foreign drivers face the same criminal penalties as Japanese drivers, and a ban on driving in Japan can apply to International Driving Permit holders.
A designated-driver service. A driver takes you and your car home while a colleague follows in a second car. It is common in rural Japan, including ski areas.