<figure id="attachment_407049" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-407049" style="width: 1248px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><a href="#" data-ident_hash="bc9d2620"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/fridaydigital/image/private/t_article_image/wpmedia/2025/01/0a3b7695a8d47eb2373662c033fade8d.png" alt=""></a><figcaption id="caption-attachment-407049" class="wp-caption-text">A driver&#8217;s license that many people are likely to see on a regular basis. what does the 12-digit driver&#8217;s license number mean? &#8230;&#8230;</figcaption></figure>
<p><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 1rem; font-weight: 400;">We are not usually aware of the 12-digit driver&#8217;s license number. Do you know that each number has its own meaning?</span> The first two digits mean the Public Safety Commission of the &#8220;prefecture&#8221; 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&#8217;s license in Tokyo would get &#8220;30,&#8221; and so on.</p>
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<p> And the next three or four numbers. This is the year when the license was first obtained. If it is &#8220;85,&#8221; it is 1985, and if it is &#8220;07,&#8221; 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 &#8220;check digit,&#8221; which is used to detect input errors.</p>
<p> The twelfth number is the last one. This is the only &#8220;variable&#8221; number in the license number. The number on a driver&#8217;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.</p>
<h3><span class="strongInContent"> What the trailing &#8220;5&#8221; means</span></h3>
<p> But why is only the number at the end of the number likely to change &#8211; and why?</p>
<p> It is because the number at the end represents &#8220;the number of times you have had your license reissued. If you have never lost your driver&#8217;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 &#8220;5&#8221; (meaning the license has been reissued five times) or more, the person is said to be a &#8220;person who cannot take care of himself/herself enough to reissue his/her license five times because it has been lost or stolen,&#8221; and is said to be involved in the screening process for mortgage loans and other types of loans.</p>
<p> A person involved in loan screening at a financial institution was interviewed.</p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> The person interviewed said, &#8220;We don&#8217;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&#8217;s just a reference point.&#8221;</span></p>
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<div data-friday-nextpage-lead=" We interviewed a person who actually has a &quot;5&quot;: ......"></div>
<h3><span class="strongInContent">&#8230;&#8230; for mortgage review.</span></h3>
<p> If it has been 20-30 years since you got your license, it could be lost or stolen. In addition, nowadays, many people will use not only a driver&#8217;s license but also a my number card as a photo ID to identify themselves, so those who are concerned about the number at the end of their license should not produce it.</p>
<p> In fact, when we asked two men whose driver&#8217;s license number ends in &#8220;5,&#8221; they told us that they had no problems with their loan applications.</p>
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<p><span class="strongInContent"> They said, &#8220;I dropped my wallet or forgot it on the train and had to reissue it several times before I realized the number at the end was &#8216;5. However, I was not told anything in particular at the loan review for my house 10 years ago. I was not asked any questions when I refinanced.</span></p>
<p><span class="strongInContent"> I submitted my driver&#8217;s license as one of the documents to verify my identity, but the number at the end was not a problem, and my business-related loan was approved without any problems. I also had a car loan, but I have continued to make payments without any problems.</span></p>
<p> However, the number of times a driver&#8217;s license has been reissued may be checked for another purpose. In general, most people who have lost their driver&#8217;s license have their licenses reissued, but there are some people who have their licenses reissued for the purpose of committing a crime.</p>
<p> Like passports, driver&#8217;s licenses are one of the most likely documents to be forged or altered and used for criminal purposes. To prevent money laundering, financial institutions have strict standards for identity verification when opening accounts. If you lose your driver&#8217;s license, you should immediately deliver it to the police.</p>
<p> It goes without saying that if you lose your driver&#8217;s license, it is important to report it to the police immediately. In recent years, some police stations have begun accepting electronic applications, so it is possible to report the loss via smartphone or PC. The best thing to do is not to lose it so as not to arouse &#8220;unnecessary suspicion.&#8221; However, if you do lose it, please be sure to handle it properly.</p>
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 Kumiko Kato

 Many people are familiar with the driver's license. However, few people know the meaning of the 12-digit number on it. Among them, the last digit is said to have "an important meaning.

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