2−1

No. 213 of 1953
No. 97 of 1954
No. 16 of 1956
No. 106 of 1962
No. 47 of 1964
No. 9 of 1971
No. 34 of 1975
No. 57 of 1983
No. 67 of 1984
No. 91 of 1989
No. 74 of 1998
No. 66 of 1999
No. 160 of 1999
No.220 of 1999
No. 89 of 2002
No. 61 of 2003
No. 147 of 2004
No. 40 of 2006
No. 21 of 2008
No. 44 of 2015ouse

Amended by Laws:
No. 181 of 1952
No. 95 of 1954
No. 112 of 1955
No. 145 of 1961
No. 149 of 1963
No. 80 of 1970
No. 62 of 1972
No. 91 of 1982
No. 25 of 1984
No. 83 of 1989
No. 86 of 1994
No. 43 of 1999
No.151 of 1999
No. 218 of 1999
No. 54 of 2002
No.152 of 2002
No. 124 of 2004
No. 10 of 2006
No. 9 of 2007
No. 74 of 2011

JASICToky

No. 102 of 1952
No. 259 of 1953
No. 26 of 1955
No. 54 of 1958
No. 161 of 1962
No. 68 of 1969
No. 89 of 1971
No. 5 of 1979
No. 23 of 1984
No. 40 of 1987
No. 89 of 1993
No.101 of 1998
No. 87 of 1999
No.207 of 1999
No. 91 of 2000
No.100 of 2002
No. 55 of 2004
No. 87 of 2005
No. 50 of 2006
No. 61 of 2011

onLaw No. 185 of June 1, 1951

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ROAD VEHICLES ACT© 1991 JASIC All Rights Reserved.
User may only use the contents of Service for non-commercial use or internal use and may not engage in acts such as duplication,editing, adaptation, public transmission, publication and distribution, without the prior written consent of JASIC.

2−1lyCONTENTSJASICTo

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I.
General Provisions ........................................................... (Article 1 ~ 3)II.
Registration of Motor Vehicles, etc. .............................. (Article 4 ~ 39)
III. Safety Regulations for Road Vehicles ......................... (Article 40 ~ 46)
IV. Checks and Maintenance of Road Vehicles ............. (Article 47 ~ 57–2)
V.
Inspection of Road Vehicles, etc. ................................. (Article 58 ~ 76)
V–2. Light Motor Vehicle Inspection Organizations
1. General Provisions ............................................. (Article 76–2 ~ 76–8)
2. Establishment ..................................................... (Article 76–9 ~ 76–14)
3. Management ..................................................... (Article 76–15 ~ 76–26)
4. Activities .......................................................... (Article 76–27 ~ 76–32)
5. Financial Affairs and Accounting .................... (Article 76–33 ~ 76–38)
6. Supervision .................................................... (Article 76–39 ~ 76–40)7. Liquidation ................................................................... (Article 76–41)
VI. Motor Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Business ..... (Article 77 ~ 96)
VI–2 Registration Information Processing Body ...... (Article 96–2 ~ 96–14)
VI–3 Registration Information Offering Body ........ (Article 96–15 ~ 96–19)
VII. Miscellaneous Provisions ..................................... (Article 97 ~ 105–2)
VIII. Penal Provisions ..................................................... (Article 106 ~ 113)

2

© 1991 JASIC All Rights Reserved.
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CHAPTER IGENERAL PROVISIONS(Purpose of this Act)on

Article 1ly

2−1(Definitions)ouArticle 2

seThe purpose of this Act is the promotion of public welfare through theofficial confirmation, etc. of ownership as well as assuring safety, preventing
environmental pollution, conserving environment and bringing about thetechnical elevation of maintenance and repair with regard to road vehicles, andat the same time, contributing to the sound development of the business ofmaintenance and repair of motor vehicles.

1. In this Act, “road vehicles” shall mean motor vehicles, motor-driven cycles
and light vehicles.

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2. In this Act, “motor vehicles” shall mean vehicles manufactured for the
purpose of being moved on land by means of a prime mover (an engine) which
do not run on track or trolley-wire, or that equipment manufactured for the
purpose of being moved on land by being drawn therewith, except
motor-driven cycles provided for in the succeeding Paragraph.

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3. In this Act, “motor-driven cycles” shall mean vehicles manufactured withthe purpose of being moved on land by means of prime mover (an engine) withan engine displacement or rated output specified by the Ministry of Land,
Infrastructure and Transport Ordinance (hereinafter MLIT Ordinance). Thesevehicles will not run on a track or by means of a trolley-wire, or will they be
manufactured with the purpose of being moved on land by being drawn
therewith.
4. In this Act, “light vehicles” shall mean vehicles manufactured with thepurpose of being moved on land by means of human or animal power which do
not run on a track or by means of a trolley-wire, or it shall mean those vehicles
manufactured with the purpose of being moved on land by being drawn
therewith, and which shall be specified by Cabinet Order.

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5. In this Act, “operation” shall mean the use of a road vehicle in compliancewith the proper use of the device thereof (except the use in places other than onroads), for the transportation of persons or goods or otherwise.
6. In this Act, “road” shall mean the road under the Road Act (Law No. 1803© 1991 JASIC All Rights Reserved.
User may only use the contents of Service for non-commercial use or internal use and may not engage in acts such as duplication,editing, adaptation, public transmission, publication and distribution, without the prior written consent of JASIC.

2−1lyof 1952) and the motor road under the Road Transport Act (Law No. 183 of1951) and other places for general traffic.

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7. In this Act, “motor carrier” shall mean the motor carrier (except lightvehicle cargo carrier) under the Road Transport Act, and “motor carrieroperator” shall mean the operator of a motor carrier.
8. In this Act, “end-of-life vehicle” shall mean the end-of-life vehicle under
the Law on Recycling of End-of-Life Vehicles (Law No. 87 of 2002).

Article 3ouse

9. In this Act, “registration identification information” shall mean a code orother information that is used to confirm that, when the person registered as anowner of the motor vehicle in the motor vehicle registration file of Article 4
makes an application for the registration in connection with the motor vehicle
concerned, the said person registered is making an application for the said
registration. It shall be able to identify the said person registered.
(Category of Motor Vehicles)

TokyThe distinction between ordinary-sized motor vehicles, small-sized motor
vehicles, mini-sized motor vehicles, large-sized special motor vehicles andsmall-sized special motor vehicles as provided for in this Act shall be specified
by the MLIT Ordinance on the basis of the size and construction of the motor
vehicle as well as the kind of prime mover (engine) and the enginedisplacement or rated output thereof.
CHAPTER IIREGISTRATION OF MOTOR VEHICLES, ETC.
(General Validity of Registration)

SICArticle 4

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No motor vehicle (except mini-sized motor vehicles, small-sized special
motor vehicles and two-wheeled small-sized motor vehicles; hereinafter thesame in this Chapter except in Articles 29 to 32 inclusive) shall be used for
operation unless they are registered in the motor vehicle registration file.
Article 5

1. Any person who acquires or forfeits the ownership of a registered motorvehicle cannot cope with a third party unless the acquisition or forfeitureconcerned is registered.
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2−1Article 6(Motor Vehicle Registration File, etc.)only

2. The provision of the preceding Paragraph shall not apply to the large-sized
special motor vehicles specified in the proviso in Article 2 of the Automobile
Mortgage Law (Law No. 187 of 1951).

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1. Registration of motor vehicles in the motor vehicle registration file shall be
performed by means of an electronic data processing system, as provided for by
the Cabinet Order.

Article 7ou

2. The motor vehicle registration file and electric information processing
system mentioned in the preceding Paragraph shall be supervised by the
Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.
(Application for Initial Registration)Toky

1. If registration is sought for motor vehicles for which registration has not
yet been obtained (hereinafter referred to as “initial registration”), the ownershall submit to the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism anapplication in which the information enumerated below are recorded. This shallbe accompanied with an alienation certificate provided for in Article 33, ordocuments proving the fact of import or other documents sufficiently proving
the ownership of the motor vehicle concerned according to the classification
specified by the MLIT Ordinance. The motor vehicle will also be presented.
The information to be recorded:
Make and type of motor vehicle;(2)

Chassis number (including the type of chassis; hereinafter the same);

(3)
(4)
(5)

Type of prime mover (engine);
Name or designation, and address of owner;
Locality of principal abode of use; andReason for acquisition.

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(6)

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(1)

2. The Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism may demand
the person submitting the application provided for in the preceding Paragraphto submit certificates regarding the chassis number or the5© 1991 JASIC All Rights Reserved.
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2−1lystamping/embossment of type of prime mover (engine) and other necessary
documents in addition to those provided for in the same Paragraph.

In the case of motor vehicles which have received a valid motor vehicle
preliminary inspection certificate provided for in Paragraph 2 of Article
71, the motor vehicle preliminary inspection certificate concerned;(2)

In the case of motor vehicles for which type designation provided for in
Paragraph 1 of Article 75 has been obtained as to their type, thecompletion inspection certificate concerned (limited to only those withwhich the period specified by the MLIT Ordinance have not elapsed
since the issuance thereof. The same in Item 2 of the next Paragraph)under the provision of Paragraph 4 of the same Article;(3)

In the case of passenger motor vehicles, etc. (motor vehicles used for
carriage of persons or small-sized motor vehicles used for the transportof goods, which are designated by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure,
Transport and Tourism Ordinance as those that are less likely to bechanged in the items related to their construction, etc. of the motor
vehicle concerned (referring to the items related to the construction, etc.
provided for in Paragraph 1 of Article 71–2). The same applies inParagraph 7 of Article 94.) which have received a valid certificate
proving conformity with Safety Regulations provided for in Paragraph 1of Article 94–5 after they had received temporary deletion of registration
under the provision of the application of Paragraph 1 of Article 16, thecertificate concerned proving conformity with Safety Regulations;(4)Tokyouse(1)SICon

3. In submitting the application provided for in Paragraph 1, in the case of
those motor vehicles prescribed in each of the following Items, thosedocuments prescribed in each Item concerned may be submitted instead of thephysical presentation of the motor vehicle concerned.

In the case of motor vehicles which have received a valid certificate
proving limited conformity with Safety Regulations provided for in
Paragraph 1 of Article 94–5–2 after they had received a valid limited
motor vehicle inspection certificate provided for in Paragraph 1 of Article
71–2, the limited motor vehicle inspection certificate concerned and thecertificate concerned proving limited conformity with Safety Regulations.

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4. When the person making the application provided for in Paragraph 1 has
submitted any relevant items from among the regulations stipulated in thefollowing Items to someone who has received MLIT registration in accordancewith the provisions from Article 96–2 to Article 96–4 (hereinafter referred to as
the “registration information processing body”), as stipulated in MLIT
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User may only use the contents of Service for non-commercial use or internal use and may not engage in acts such as duplication,editing, adaptation, public transmission, publication and distribution, without the prior written consent of JASIC.