Student Life
3. Safety in Life
① Traffic Rules and Regulations
The number of traffic accidents has been rising sharply these days.
Please observe traffic rules and regulations and not to get involved in
any traffic accidents.
② Bicycle
Having a bicycle is a convenient and inexpensive mode of transportation,
especially if you live close to campus. However you must use extra cautions
when you ride a bicycle. In Japan, bicycle owners are required to register
their bicycles under the crime prevention bicycle registration system inorder to prevent bicycle theft. Please lock your bicycle whenever you
leave it behind, and park at designated parking lots.
③ Driving a Car and Riding a Motorcycle
We do not recommend that international students own or drive cars inJapan. In particular, newly-arrived international students who are notused to driving in Japan are more likely to have/cause traffic accidents.
Should you have/cause an accident, you may need substantial amount ofcompensation money and other expenses. Please consult with yourinstructor before you drive a car in Japan.
*1 Drivers License in Japan:
There are three ways you can obtain a driver’s license in Japan.
First, finish a driving school and take a written test at designatedexamination sites. Second, take a written test and a driving test also
at designated examination sites. Third, switch a international driver’slicense to a Japanese driver’s license.

Only holders of international driver’s license issued by The Geneva
Convention on Road Traffic are permitted to drive in Japan.
An international driver’s license plus a driver’s license from your homecountry will allow you to drive in Japan for up to one year from the date ofissue of the international license. Under the Japanese law, if anyone, whoregisters as a resident or as a foreign national in Japan, leaves and re-enters
this country within three months, the above mentioned one year duration
will never starts newly. It means even if they leave and reenter Japan with
newly issued genuine international driving permit, driving with that permit
will be considered to be a driving without license, if they return to Japan
within three months after their departure.
*2 When you get your own car:Auto insurance consists of two main components; the “compulsory insurance(automobile damages compensation insurance)” and an “optional insurance”.
All automobile owners are required to have compulsory insurance by law.
The optional insurance covers the compensation payment exceeding the limitof payment covered by the compulsory insurance and also covers items ofinsurance not covered by compulsory insurance. The optional insurance isvalid for the following items which are not covered by the compulsory
insurance: property damage, damage to the third party's vehicle, damage
to your own vehicle, injuries to the driver or passenger while driving, etc.
Please make sure you also purchase an optional insurance.
*3 Parking permit:
Both “Parking Permit” and “Pass Card” are necessary for anyone to drive acar into Gifu University. Please apply to the faculty/graduate school office.

④ Traffic Accident
If you are involved in a traffic accident, remain calm and do the followings:(1) If anyone is injured, call 119 immediately for an ambulance.
(2) Report the accident to the police (Call 110) and accept “Traffic Accident
Certificate” from the police.
(3) Remove anything from an accident site which may disturb traffic.
(4) Must have to note the following information in case of a car collision,crash, etc.: name, address, and telephone number, date of birth, work
place and license plate number of the driver.
(5) Report the accident to the faculty /graduate school office.
⑤ Disaster Prevention
Japan is an earthquake-prone country and extra precautions are necessary.
Creating an earthquake preparedness plan can help you to know what to do incase an earthquake strikes. Please also attend a natural disaster preventiondrill organized by the International Planning Division.