Safety Requirements for Exporting Cars to Japan

• Ensuring that safety regulations are met reduces the cost and time taken to export cars to Japan. ULTRA.F/Digital Vision/Getty Images

  Before exporting a car from its country of origin or importing it into Japan, several safety requirements must be met at each port. The majority of cars crossing Japan's borders are being exported from Japan, not imported into Japan, but there are exceptions. Some American cars such as Chrysler, for example, are sought after within Japan, and are imported on a regular basis.

Cars must be clean inside

• All compartments of cars exported to Japan must meet quarantine requirements, including being free of insects, seeds, soil, mud, clay, animal feces, plant materials such as straw, twigs, leaves, roots, bark, food and other debris. Sand and gravel must be vacuumed out before inspection.

Cars must be clean outside

• Road dirt, soil and plant matter must be removed from the wheels, guards, spare wheel, engine, vehicle underside, fuel tank, and chassis rails. The undercarriage must be free of debris, to prevent unwanted entry of dangerous pests.

Cars must meet emissions regulations

• This is a form of safety criteria because emissions detrimentally affect the environment if not kept to a minimum. Diesel Net reports that, in 2009, emissions standards were tightened to NOx = 0.7 g/kWh, PM = 0.01 g/kWh , which fall between US and European targets. An emissions test in Japan is expensive (around US $2,000) but, once passed, will ensure the car meets Japan's regulation criteria.

Cars must adhere to current fuel efficiency targets

• This process is based on a top-runner approach, where the latest, most fuel-efficient car forms the target that others must try to match. Obviously, for older vehicles with correspondingly older technology, the same efficiency may not be attainable, so any test will take this limitation into account during the import/export procedure. The standards vary depending on the individual weights of the vehicles, but an example for an average passenger car is: 15.1 km/L (153.8 g CO2/km), a recent 22.8% increase over 1995 performance of 12.3 km/L (188.8 g CO2/km).

Cars must meet modification requirements

• This affects the road safety of the vehicle. Some modifications are considered unsafe in Japan. There are laws governing the retrofitting of older vehicles, which involves retrofitting of older in-use diesel vehicles with PM control devices (catalytic converters or particulate filters), or else replacing them with newer, cleaner models. This became effective in December 2000, according to Diesel Net.

Cars must undergo regular safety maintenance checks

• According to The Japan Guide, imported cars older than 3 years must undergo a maintenance check every two years that ensures the car works properly, is roadworthy, and continues to meet ongoing safety and emissions requirements. In Japanese, this process is called a "shaken."