Did you know you ought to own a parking space for buying your own vehicle in Japan? Not just this, you are required to show proof to the car dealer of a space that you rent or own, and that it must be within a radius of 2km of your residence.  

One of the Facebook pages called Factified that provides viral facts & stories posted an update about it. The post claims that if you wish to own a car in Japan, you need to show proof of having a car parking space within the radius of 2km of your residence. The post has been liked by more than 1,50,000 Facebook users and shared by above 6000 people. 

Once you get a parking space within 2km of your residence, you are required to contact your local police station with a proof of residency and the parking space using a map along with a confirmation stamp with your name on it. Then a Parking Space Certificate is issued to you by the police station. 

Parking spaces are available on monthly rent and sometimes you are required to deposit an advance deposit of three months. 

Another major requirement for buying or hiring a car in Japan is to possess a valid driver’s license that must be at least three months old. A lot of Japanese residents or visitors now consider hiring a car rather than buying it as it’s a much more affordable option especially if you are visiting the country for a few months. 

Moreover, if you consider purchasing a used car, it must be ‘Shaken’. It means that your car dealer will do an inspection for a fee. There are even a few gas stations which provide this service. 

The Light Motor Vehicle Inspection Organization inspects the Yellow Plate cars and the The Transport Bureau Office is responsible for the White Plate cars. Also, you are required to renew the ‘shaken’ within one month of its expiry. 

Besides paying for the price of the car, there are other expenses involved while purchasing a car like name change, automobile tonnage tax as well as automobile acquisition tax. 

Japan’s Automotive Industry

Japan’s automobile industry is one of the key pillars of the country’s economy. Giant companies like Honda, Toyota and Nissan have huge manufacturing units while they have merged with hundreds of suppliers, which are both small & medium-sized firms. Japan is indeed one of the top three countries with the highest number of cars manufactured surpassing Germany. 

Few Other Facts 

• Japan’s automotive industry increased between the 1970s and the 1990s while becoming the leader with around 13 million cars manufactured every year. 
• In 2020, around 8.07 million motor vehicles were manufactured in Japan, which included cars, buses, trucks, with the majority of cars. 
• In 2019, Japan exported around 4.8 million motor vehicles. The majority of these vehicles exported were cars.