Skip to content

License Plates

Shape and Design

The government issues license plates for vehicles in Japan. Kei Cars utilize a medium-sized number-marker  / license plate (also known as Chuban) with the dimensions of: 33x16.5 cm (13x6.5 inch).

Private Use - Yellow Background with black letters

Commercial Use - Black background with yellow letters

The top line contains the name of the issuing office (Tama, shown, is in Tokyo) and a 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 zeroes are replaced by centered dots.

License Plate Classification

In Japan, vehicles are classified based on size, engine displacement, and vehicle type. The classification system is used to determine the vehicle's tax rate, as well as certain driving restrictions that apply to certain types of vehicles. In addition to plate size and color, Japanese plates since 1962 have identified the vehicle type (signified by length, width and height as well as engine displacement) by use of a vehicle class code signified by a number on the top line of the plate for all vehicles with three or more wheels.

Kei vehicles are classified in either the 4XX or 5xx range. 

Local Place / Place Name

A place name of 1 to 4 characters is displayed on the upper left side of the license plate. This is known as a  Gotōchi (ご当地, local place) numbers. As of 2020, there are a total of 133 place names. A full list can be found here.

Hiragana and alphabet letters

On the license plate, a single hiragana character or alphabetic character is displayed to the left of the serial number or vehicle number to indicate whether it is for private use or business use. For Kei Vehicles, the following characters are permitted:

  • Private Use:  あ・い・う・え・か・き・く・け・こ・さ・す・せ・そ・た・ち・つ・て・と・な・に・ぬ・ね・の・は・ひ・ふ・ほ・ま・み・む・め・も・や・ゆ・よ・ら・る・を
  • Stationed Soldiers: A・B
  • Rental Cars: わ
  • Commercial Use:り・れ

Numbers

On the license plate, 1 to 4-digit numerals called "serial designation number" are displayed to the right of the hiragana. Numbers are aligned to the right. If the number is 3 or less, the blank digits are filled with “・”. If the number is 4 digits, there is a "-" (hyphen) between the second and third digits. It is added (because it is easier to remember if it is separated by two digits). By paying a fee, you can specify the number you want as the serial number. Desired numbers can be obtained through a license plate lottery.