Narita Airport Allows Foreign Cargo Vehicle Drivers Without Japanese Driver's License

Activity at Narita Airport. (Wikimedia Commons/Ermell)

JAKARTA - A program that allows foreign workers without a Japanese driver's license to operate freight-carrying vehicles on aircraft parking aprons has begun at Narita Airport, near Tokyo, in an effort to address a severe labor shortage.

The first program in Japan shortens the time it takes workers to start operating cargo vehicles by eliminating the need to convert a foreign driver's license to a Japanese license, a process that usually takes about six months.

Two employees from JAL Ground Service Co., a Japan Airlines Group company responsible for handling airport ground operations, received permits to drive in mid-January after the program began the previous month.

Thet Wai Phooe, a 23-year-old Myanmar national, said he was happy to get approval to operate vehicles faster and felt more motivated to work, as reported by Kyodo News (31/1).

Workers must receive training in airport ground handling operations, undergo an evaluation at a driving school and pass a test before being allowed to drive in restricted areas. They are also required to take an annual driving ability test.

JAL Ground Service said another 15 Myanmar nationals were planning to take the exam.

As Japanese airlines expand the recruitment of foreign workers under the government's Special Skilled Worker visa program, they are facing problems because those who do not have an International Driving Permit under the Geneva Convention on Road Traffic cannot immediately start working.