Shaken (車検) is Japan’s compulsory vehicle inspection. A car cannot be driven on public roads without a valid Shaken certificate, and the expiry date decides a large part of what a used car is worth. This page explains it in plain terms and shows how it appears on our vehicle pages.
What Shaken is
- A safety and emissions inspection done at a government inspection station or a certified workshop.
- Valid for 2 years for a used passenger car (the first inspection of a new car lasts 3 years).
- Paid together with the inspection: the weight tax (自動車重量税), compulsory liability insurance (自賠責保険) and the inspection fee. Kei cars pay less than registered cars.
- The result is recorded on the vehicle inspection certificate (車検証) and a windscreen sticker showing the expiry month.
How it appears on each vehicle page
Shaken valid until YYYY/MM
The car still has inspection time left. You can drive it as soon as it is registered in your name. You renew it before that date; we can do the renewal for you in our workshop.
Fresh 2-year Shaken included
Before delivery we take the car through a new inspection, so you start with a full 2 years. The inspection fee, weight tax and liability insurance for the new term are inside the price shown for that vehicle.
Shaken not included, quotation required
The car is sold without inspection time (for example an auction car or an export-oriented listing). We quote the inspection and any repair needed to pass before you commit.
Renewal later
Book the renewal in the month before expiry. Yamaguchi Motors’ workshop in Ota, Gunma performs pre-inspection, repairs and the inspection itself. We send a reminder before your expiry date when you buy from us. Workshop and Shaken service.
Three things buyers often mix up
- Shaken is not a warranty. It confirms the car met the inspection standard on that day, not that nothing will fail later. Our warranty is separate and shown on every vehicle page.
- Shaken and registration are different steps. Registration puts the car in your name; Shaken keeps it legal on the road. Both are needed.
- Automobile tax is separate from the weight tax paid at Shaken. Registered cars pay automobile tax by engine size each year; kei cars pay the light vehicle tax.