Do foreign cars really need to be registered in Japan
 

I'm a guy enter to Japan without a carnet, but instead of a bike, I came with a Volkswagen, I arrived today.

I shipped my car from Shanghai to Osaka, now they put my car into the bond area, I was allowed to see it, but was not allow to touch it or even open the door to take some of my stuffs, the car was sealed....

I heard that I need may have to get a temporatory japanese license plate, does anyone knows about it, are there any laws that tells we can use our own plate in a foreign country ?

Chris, I'm now in Japan, do u have any idea ?

my car inside the ferry cargo
http://www.vwexpedition.com/forum/download.php?id=2786

arrival at the osaka port
http://www.vwexpedition.com/forum/download.php?id=2789

my car at the bond area of the osaka port
http://www.vwexpedition.com/forum/download.php?id=2792

my car at the bond area of the osaka port
http://www.vwexpedition.com/forum/download.php?id=2793

My interpretation...

The 'bond area' is a 'customs' thing - as in import duty .. not having the carnet means they don't know if you’re going to sell the car there .. so they need something from you to assure them that you won't sell the car .. or if you do that you will pay the duty... This could mean a 'temporary import licence' or some such .. possibly so 'bond' money too ...


Nothing to do with the vehicle licence plate (or rego) yet...

Japanese license plate
 

If your vehicle is from a country part of the Convention on Road Traffic (Geneva,1949) you do not need a Japanes license plate or have the vehicle inspection.
Article 4 of the law on the exception to the road transport vehicle law with the execution of the Convention on Road Traffic
http://law.e-gov.go.jp/htmldata/S39/S39HO109.html
says that you are exempt from article 19 of the road transport vehicle law. (that is the part of the law saying you need a license plate issued by the government of Japan).

If you print and carry a copy of that law, maybe you can avoid troubles. (Unless the police actually check to see if your country is part of the treaty.)

However, if your country is not a part of the 1949 Convention, you will be driving illegally.
The penalty of driving a car that has not had the manditory inspection is up to 6 months in jail or up to 300,000 yen (about US$3000) fine.


Note that translations of laws and regulations are my own and are not official. Also, laws and other information may change in the future.