KUALA LUMPUR - Narita International Airport is now letting foreign workers drive vehicles in certain areas before obtaining a Japanese driver’s license to cope with staff shortages in ground handling, Nikkei Asia reported.

Two employees at Japan Airlines group company JAL Ground Service (JGS) became the first to receive driving permits under the new system, which started last week.

“It's a job that comes with responsibility, so I plan to always put safety first,” said one of the employees, originally from Myanmar.

The employee is on a specified skilled worker visa, which requires specialized skills and Japanese language ability, and drives vehicles to transport luggage and other items at the airport.

Normally, airport drivers must hold a Japanese license or an international driving permit and pass a test from the airline, with conversion for some foreign licenses taking months.

Some employees face up to six months’ wait for an exam at a prefectural driver’s license centre, limiting the tasks they can perform while waiting.

By June 2025, 1,791 specified skilled worker visa holders were employed in ground handling, almost double the number from the previous year, according to Japan’s Immigration Services Agency.

About 60% of JGS’s foreign ground crew come from countries not part of the international driving permit agreement, creating barriers to filling labour shortages.

JGS has been lobbying since 2023 to ease licensing rules, working with Narita city in Chiba prefecture, where the airport is located.

Narita, as a national strategic special zone, allows some regulatory flexibility to support economic growth.

Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism updated guidance after proposals from JGS and Narita, allowing foreign workers to drive if employers provide training and the worker passes a driving skills test.

The new system can reduce the time from training to driving to as little as four months, depending on the worker’s skill level.

JGS has set up a dedicated division to train foreign workers on vehicle features, accident prevention, and job-specific driving skills, with tests as strict as official exams.

Narita Airport began revising internal rules in December, becoming the first airport in Japan to implement the system.

The first two JGS workers will start driving after completing an additional three months of training.

JGS plans to train another 15 crew members under the new system, noting that while the Type 1 skilled worker visa allows a stay of up to five years, the driving permit is valid for only three years, requiring license conversion in parallel.