Have you ever wondered what those colorful characters and symbols on Japanese car number plates actually mean? Join us as we unravel the secrets behind these unique plates and provide you with a comprehensive guide to understanding their significance.
From deciphering the region and registration codes to uncovering the hidden history and cultural references embedded within the characters, we're here to demystify the art of Japanese vehicle identification. Whether you're a car enthusiast, a traveler planning to explore Japan, or simply curious about international license plate designs, our videos are tailored to enlighten and engage.
PLATE COLOR: Private vehicles with engines over 660cc use white plates with green numbers on them. Commercial vehicles with engines over 660cc come with green plates with white text. Private kei cars or mini cars wear yellow plates with black text, while commercial mini cars utilize black plates with yellow print on them. Official vehicles of the foreign diplomats in Japan use blue number plate. Skyblue colored license plates are for the micro cars which is rare. The royal family vehicles do not use regular number plates; instead they display the imperial seal.
Registration plate starts with a kanji which display the plate issuing office/area name, followed by 3 digits that stand for the vehicle class code. Vehicle class codes are from 000 to 999, each hundred represents vehicles according to the engine size, length, purpose of use and more. The second line has a single hiragana character randomly assigned by the registration office. Two hiraganas are reserved for the rental cars. Vehicles that belong to the US military members in Japan use letters Y and A instead of the hiragana. Then serial number which can go from 1 to 9999. You are allowed to pick your favorite number combination if available; some numbers are high-in-demand, and only possible to acquire them through lottery system. Number plate lotteries are run every Monday.
License plates are affixed to both the front and rear of the vehicle. The rear plate is affixed permanently using a prefecture seal that entirely conceals one of the attaching plate bolts. This rear plate remains in place except in cases where the vehicle is sold as a secondhand item to an individual from a different prefecture, has completed its service life and is sold as scrap, or is exported. For newly purchased vehicles, the plates are secured onto the vehicle at the dealership before being handed over to the buyer.
Motorcycle number plates: 00-49cc WHITE (with blue text), 50-89cc YELLOW, 90-124cc PINK, over 125cc WHITE (with green text).
Kei cars or mini-cars may wear white plates instead of yellow if they opt for a special designs such as Tokyo Olypics, Osaka Kansai Expo or Rugby World Cup etc.
00:00 Intro
00:37 Plate Colours and Types
01:59 Kanji: Plate Issuing Office
02:51 Vehicle Class Code
04:21 Hiragana Characters for Private and Commercial Vehicles
04:57 Main Number 4-Digits
05:18 Most Wanted Numbers & Lottery
06:12 Top Ranked Number Plates in Japan
06:35 Overflowing Vehicle Class Codes
07:08 Number Plate Designs
07:46 Plate Installation and Prefectural Seal
08:03 Temporary Number Plates
08:29 Vehicles of Defense Force and US Military Members