Question: What must I do to get a Hawaii driver’s license if I already have a driver’s license in Japan? I will be living in Honolulu.

Answer: Hawaii has a driver’s license reciprocity agreement with Japan. Assuming that your Japanese license is not expired and that you meet other conditions, you should be able to transfer your license to Hawaii without taking a written or road test. Hawaii also has such agreements with South Korea and Taiwan.

Here is the basic process, according to Honolulu County’s Department of Customer Services:

“Applicants who qualify for reciprocity privileges are not required to take the driver’s license written and road test. However, an expired foreign driver’s license is not transferable and requires a written and road tests.

“The application process is the same as for an out-of-state driver’s license transfer. Applicants are also required to submit a verification letter, which must be notarized, translated and sealed by their respective consulates, a valid foreign license, and the required REAL ID documents.

“The process requires applying in person and an appointment is required. Make an appointment for an out-of-state driver’s license transfer at AlohaQ (alohaq.org).

“The applicant is required to surrender their foreign driver’s license. A temporary type-3 license will be issued, documents will be verified, and a plastic license will be mailed in six to eight weeks.”

Find more information at 808ne.ws/licjtk, including links to the Consulate General of Japan in Honolulu, the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Honolulu and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Honolulu.

Q: Where do you make an appointment with unemployment?

A: The link to make a Zoom or telephone appointment is at labor.hawaii.gov/ui/appointments. There were none available when we checked Thursday.

Hawaii’s unemployment offices remain closed to in-person visits by claimants.

Q: I have a job lined up, but it won’t start until the end of August. I plan on staying on unemployment in the meantime. Do I still have to do the job search?

A: Yes, unless you are exempt for some other reason, such as being attached to your full-time employer or being covered by a referring union. Otherwise, “you must continue making three job contacts per week until you have returned to work,” according to the state Department of Labor and Industrial Relations.

Q: If the state is counting antigen tests as valid for the purposes of counting COVID-19 cases, will they also accept them for the pre-travel testing requirement to avoid quarantine?

A: No. The state of Hawaii will only accept a negative nucleic acid amplification test result from a certified Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendment lab from a Trusted Testing and Travel Partner, according to the state’s COVID-19 portal. The test must have been done within 72 hours from the final leg of departure to Hawaii.

For more information and a list of Trusted Testing and Travel Partners, see hawaiicovid19.com/travel.

Mahalo

I would like to thank the kind gentleman who on May 18 went out of his way. At Waiau Gardens Kai we had a water pipe burst near the sidewalk at 11:30 p.m. He pulled his car over and called to report it to the Board of Water Supply. He also waited until someone arrived. A lot more water would have been wasted if not for your quick action. — Mahalo, a grateful resident.

(Note: To reach the Honolulu Board of Water Supply to report problems like this, call 748-5000 and press 1.)

Write to Kokua Line at Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 7 Waterfront Plaza, Suite 210, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Honolulu 96813; call 529-4773; fax 529-4750; or email kokualine@staradvertiser.com.