What Is a Japanese License Plate?
Unlike other countries registering your car in Japan isn’t just a simple matter of picking up a license plate. There are many facets of the plate that need to be taken into account, including regional markings.
White plates are for private vehicles and black or green for commercial vehicle. There are 106 different issuing municipalities in Japan.
What is a Japanese license plate?
Japanese license plates feature a combination of letters, numbers, and symbols. The letter on the plate indicates the prefecture where the vehicle is registered, while the number is assigned sequentially. Private vehicles must display a white or yellow license plate, while taxis must display a black or green one.
A typical Japanese license plate consists of four lines: the top line contains the name of the issuing office (the “dofuken” in the illustration), followed by a prefix letter and three numerals which indicate the vehicle class code. The bottom line contains a Hiragana character and a four-digit serial number divided into two groups of two digits separated by a hyphen. Any leading zeros are replaced by centered dots.
The first two digits of the number identify the prefecture where the vehicle is registered, followed by a symbol representing the type of motor vehicle (for example, T for taxis). The last two digits are the serial number, which is assigned sequentially.
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How is a Japanese license plate made?
Japanese license plates are made up of a number of different elements. The top line contains the name of the prefecture where the vehicle was registered, followed by a three-digit serial number which is divided into two groups of two numbers each. The second line contains hiragana characters and a kanji prefecture/office code. Finally, the bottom line contains a four-digit numerical portion.
There are also a number of special license plate designs for various purposes. For example, some license plates have a yellow background instead of the standard green one. These are used for vehicles that have been imported from countries outside Japan and are left-hand drive. They are usually car fragrance wholesale displayed on the front of the vehicle. There are also special license plates for American Forces in Japan that have the letter Y on Green on White and A on Black on Yellow plates. These are used for vehicles that have been brought into the country under the Status of Forces Agreement.
Some plates also feature regional markings. For example, the plate shown here is from Owari-Komaki and has the regional marking “”. This means that the vehicle was registered in a town in that region of the prefecture.
Another thing to note is that in Japan, all vehicles must have a plate that matches the vehicle identification number (VIN). This is done so that authorities can easily identify the owner of the car and find out if it has passed inspection or not. If not, the driver may be subject to a large fine.
What are the letters on a Japanese license plate?
The letters on a Japanese license plate represent the prefecture (Japan is divided into 47 different subdivisions or “prefectures”). The first two letters are vertically aligned and positioned next to each other. The last three numbers indicate the vehicle class code, and any leading zeroes are replaced by centered dots. In the example above, the top left symbol Pin Chuan () represents Shinagawa, Japan.
Kei cars have a medium size plate with a yellow background and black characters. These plates are only available to cars registered in the kei class, and have a number of unique features:
In addition, the number of digits after 42 and 49 is restricted. This is done because these numbers have the same pronunciation as the hiragana Si (“death”), making them unlucky. This is done to prevent the same digit from being assigned to multiple vehicles in the same prefecture, and also to avoid the possibility of the same number being used as a serial number on a stolen vehicle.
There is a limit of one plate per owner. Private vehicles can be issued a temporary license plate, which is white with a red slash through it and valid for 3 days. Temporary license plates are mainly used for car trips, like going to the shop or taking your car to the track.