Young Japanese Turning Away From Cars
Japan's younger generation is increasingly turning away from driving and car ownership, with the number of driver's license holders aged 24 and under falling by approximately 590,000 over the past decade to around 5.15 million in 2025, reflecting changing attitudes toward transportation, spending and the traditional appeal of owning a car. (News On Japan)
In Japan, the younger generation is increasingly abandoning car ownership and driving, according to data from 2025. Approximately 5.15 million individuals aged 24 and under hold driver's licenses, a decline of around 590,000 over the past decade. This shift reflects changing attitudes towards transportation, spending, and the traditional allure of owning a car.
The automotive industry and driving schools are concerned about the decline, as fewer young people seek licenses, leading to the closure of training facilities nationwide. The proportion of individuals aged 20 to 24 with driver's licenses has dropped by about 10 percentage points since 2001, falling to 70.5% in 2025.
A survey of urban residents in their 20s revealed that the primary reason for not purchasing a car is the sufficiency of public transportation. Other factors include concerns about traffic accidents and a preference for allocating money to other expenses. This shift in attitudes has been discussed on Kansai Television's Dot Connect program, where automobile enthusiast Kazushige Nagashima reflected on how car ownership perceptions have evolved between generations.
Nagashima attributed the decline to two main factors: the financial burden of car ownership and the loss of the romantic appeal that cars once held for young people. He noted that car ownership entails significant expenses, such as insurance, and that public transportation is often considerably cheaper, especially in urban areas.
Nagashima emphasized that younger people today recognize the financial advantages of using public transportation over owning a car.
The decline in young license holders impacts driving schools, with closures occurring in areas experiencing reduced enrollment. For the automotive industry, the trend raises questions about how manufacturers can appeal to a generation that views cars as expensive options rather than essential purchases or aspirational products. Japan's extensive public transportation system presents challenges for the automotive industry in appealing to younger consumers who increasingly consider cars costly rather than necessary or desirable.
Written by urgent.news from News On Japan's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
