The Japanese terms you will meet when buying a car, in the order you meet them. Each one links to the page where it matters. If a document or office is not on this list, ask us; we explain it before you need to act.
Cars and plates
- 軽自動車 kei jidōsha
- Kei car. Engine up to 660 cc, yellow number plate, lower tax and simpler paperwork. Kei-car guide.
- 普通車 / 登録車 futsū-sha / tōroku-sha
- Registered vehicle, the white-plate car. Ownership is recorded at the transport bureau. White-plate guide.
- 車検証 shaken-shō
- Vehicle inspection certificate. Shows owner, user, engine, and the Shaken expiry. Kept in the car.
- 車検 shaken
- The compulsory inspection, valid 2 years for used cars. Shaken guide.
- 希望ナンバー kibō nanbā
- A chosen number plate, reserved in advance for a fee.
People and offices
- 所有者 / 使用者 shoyūsha / shiyōsha
- Owner and user of the car. Usually the same person; can differ for company cars or financed cars.
- 運輸支局 un’yu shikyoku
- Transport bureau branch, where registered cars are transferred.
- 軽自動車検査協会 kei jidōsha kensa kyōkai
- Light Motor Vehicle Inspection Organization, where kei cars are transferred.
- 警察署 keisatsu-sho
- Police station; the one covering your parking place issues the parking certificate.
- 市役所 / 区役所 shiyakusho / kuyakusho
- City or ward office, where you get the certificate of residence and register a seal.
Documents
- 実印 jitsuin
- Registered seal. A personal stamp registered at the city office; needed for registered cars, not for kei cars.
- 印鑑登録証明書 inkan tōroku shōmeisho
- Seal registration certificate proving the seal is yours. Valid 3 months.
- 住民票 jūminhyō
- Certificate of residence showing your address. Valid 3 months. Ask for the copy without My Number.
- 委任状 ininjō
- Power of attorney letting Yamaguchi Motors file the transfer for you.
- 申請依頼書 shinsei iraisho
- Application request form, the kei-car equivalent of the power of attorney. Signature only.
- 譲渡証明書 jōto shōmeisho
- Transfer certificate from the seller. We prepare and stamp it.
- 名義変更 / 移転登録 meigi henkō / iten tōroku
- Name change, the ownership transfer into your name.
Parking
- 車庫証明 shako shōmei
- Parking certificate from the police, needed before a registered car is transferred in most areas. Parking guide.
- 保管場所届出 hokan basho todokede
- Parking notification for kei cars in designated cities, filed after registration.
- 使用の本拠の位置 shiyō no honkyo no ichi
- Place of use, normally your home address. The parking place must be within 2 km of it.
- 自認書 jinin-sho
- Self-declaration that you own the parking land.
- 保管場所使用承諾証明書 hokan basho shiyō shōdaku shōmeisho
- Parking-use consent certificate from the owner of a rented space.
- 所在図 / 配置図 shozai-zu / haichi-zu
- Location map and layout map attached to the parking application.
- 月極駐車場 tsukigime chūshajō
- Monthly rented parking lot.
Money
- 自動車税 / 軽自動車税 jidōsha-zei / kei jidōsha-zei
- Annual automobile tax (registered cars, by engine size) and light vehicle tax (kei cars, flat).
- 自動車重量税 jidōsha jūryō-zei
- Weight tax paid at each Shaken.
- 自賠責保険 jibaiseki hoken
- Compulsory liability insurance, paid with Shaken. Voluntary insurance (任意保険) is separate and strongly recommended.
- リサイクル料金 risaikuru ryōkin
- Recycling fee deposited for the car’s end of life; transferred to the buyer and itemised on the invoice.
- 手付金 / 予約金 tetsukekin / yoyakukin
- Reservation deposit. We do not take one: every car is paid in full, in one payment. Rules.