Is “5” a bad number? Surprising Secrets of Driver’s License Numbers… In Some Cases, “Mortgage Loans May Not Pass”.
The secret of your driver's license number is not well known. The last digit is particularly important. Automotive journalist Kumiko Kato explains.
We are not usually aware of the 12-digit driver’s license number. Do you know that each number has its own meaning? The first two digits mean the Public Safety Commission of the “prefecture” where you first obtained your license. For example, the numbers are numbered from north to south in the Japanese archipelago, from the 10s in Hokkaido to the 20s in the Tohoku region. For example, a person who first obtained a driver’s license in Tokyo would get “30,” and so on.
And the next three or four numbers. This is the year when the license was first obtained. If it is “85,” it is 1985, and if it is “07,” it is 2007. Those who do not disclose their age should pay attention to this number as well as the year of birth. Numbers 5 through 10 are the unique control numbers for each prefecture. The 11th number is a “check digit,” which is used to detect input errors.
The twelfth number is the last one. This is the only “variable” number in the license number. The number on a driver’s license does not change, for example, if you get a moped or motorcycle license at age 16, a regular license at age 18, or a large or second-class license later on.
What the trailing “5” means
But why is only the number at the end of the number likely to change – and why?
It is because the number at the end represents “the number of times you have had your license reissued. If you have never lost your driver’s license, the number remains 0; if you have lost it twice and had it reissued twice, the number at the end is 2. If the number at the end is “5” (meaning the license has been reissued five times) or more, the person is said to be a “person who cannot take care of himself/herself enough to reissue his/her license five times because it has been lost or stolen,” and is said to be involved in the screening process for mortgage loans and other types of loans.
A person involved in loan screening at a financial institution was interviewed.
The person interviewed said, “We don’t make decisions based solely on the number at the end of the license number, but we certainly use it as a reference. Of course, it seems to be a far lighter matter than cases of credit damage due to failure to pay loans in the past. For example, if you have a history of not paying your cell phone bill and being stopped, it is difficult to get a business loan approved, but not at that level. It’s just a reference point.”
