Cars imported from the U.S. can now be imported without additional testing!　Harley and other motorcycles and ATVs to also be applied!　Asked MLIT for more details.

Following the Japan-U.S. summit, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism has decided to allow vehicles imported from the U.S. without additional testing. Will motorcycles from Harley, Indian, and other U.S. manufacturers be covered?　Or will vehicles unique to the U.S., such as side-by-sides and ATVs, also be covered?　We interviewed an official from the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.

The barrier that has prevented the sale of U.S. vehicles will be removed, making it easier to import them into Japan.

Following the Japan-U.S. tariff negotiations in July 2025, in November, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism (MLIT) began studying ways to simplify the screening process for vehicles imported from the United States. Currently, even if a vehicle meets U.S. safety standards, it must undergo additional testing in Japan, but this will be changed so that vehicles can be imported without testing and with only documentary examination. In addition, the ministry will hold public comments on the proposed revision. Japan participates in WP29 (World Forum for Harmonization of Motor Vehicle Standards) with Europe and other countries to standardize tests related to safety standards for two-wheeled and four-wheeled vehicles. While Japan has simplified the screening process for imports and exports, the U.S. does not participate and has established its own standards. Therefore, it is necessary for the Japanese side to rerun the tests and clear the Japanese type designation and other inspections. More than 100,000 U.S. cars were imported and sold annually until the mid-1990s, but their popularity has declined, with imports falling to about 16,000 units in 2024. President Trump claims that the slump in sales of U.S. cars is a barrier to additional Japanese testing. He said that even if a vehicle does not meet the required test items under Japanese standards, if its safety is ensured by test results in the U.S., the additional tests will be exempted from the system. --I would think that if motorcycles were also subject to this system, it would make it easier for Harley-Davidsons, which represent the United States, to arrive in Japan and lower their prices. ......?　We called the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism to ask questions.

It is possible that the motorcycles are eligible!　However, Harleys are manufactured in Thailand, so they may not be eligible.

First of all, to sum up, nothing has been decided yet beyond the statement, "Passenger cars manufactured in the United States and certified for safety in the United States will be accepted for sale in Japan without additional testing. It has not yet been determined whether motorcycles will be included. This language was exchanged in a joint Japan-U.S. document signed during President Trump's visit to Japan in October. According to a Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism official, "The term 'passenger car' in the joint document is clearly defined as 'passenger vehicle' in English, and at this point we have no more information than the wording of the document as to what types of vehicles are included. We are still considering whether motorcycles and trucks will be included, in addition to standard 4-wheeled vehicles," he said. Of course, "there is a possibility that motorcycles will be included," he says. If so, the U.S. specifications would not have to be changed to Japanese specifications, and costs could be reduced. However, the condition is that the bikes must be "manufactured in the US. In the case of Harley, models for Japan are basically not made in the U.S., but are manufactured at the Thai plant starting in 2022. Only some models, such as the CVO, are made in the U.S. According to an MLIT official, "This too has not yet been decided, but we understand that imports from other countries are exempt, even for vehicles made in the U.S., since the U.S. side is aware of the problem of "low exports from the U.S.". Harley may not be affected by the deregulation.

Not to be forgotten among American motorcycle manufacturers is Indian. Here, Chief, Springfield, Chieftain, Challenger, Roadmaster, and Pursuit are made in the U.S., so they may benefit from deregulation if their bikes are covered.

Will 4-wheeled baby carriages get numbers, too?　That seems unlikely.

What will happen to off-road 4-wheelers such as ATVs, baby carriages, and side-by-sides is also a concern. Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, and Kawasaki have factories in the U.S., and these vehicles are popular in the U.S. In Japan, they basically cannot be driven on public roads, but in the U.S. they can be driven on public roads (some states do not allow it). Will the lack of additional testing allow the vehicle to obtain a license plate number in Japan? According to a Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism official, "As I mentioned earlier, it has not yet been decided whether those types of vehicles will be included among passenger cars, but I think it is a bit unlikely.

It doesn't look like it will affect Japan much, but what about parallel imports?

They will be soliciting public comments in the future, but the start date and other details were "undecided, although we would like to do so as soon as possible. Overall, the impression is that the system is intended to make it easier to import and sell vehicles to Japan that are not currently available in the U.S. due to safety standards and other reasons (e.g., some pickup trucks). Therefore, vehicles that have already been sold in Japan in compliance with Japanese laws and regulations are considered to be largely unaffected. However, if "parallel imports" are also subject to the system, the situation will change somewhat. There are three certification systems for two-wheeled and four-wheeled vehicles: type designation, special handling system for imported vehicles (PHP), and parallel imports, in descending order of the number of vehicles handled, due to the strictness and high cost of inspections. The "no additional testing required" policy appears to apply only to type-designated vehicles, but if testing is no longer required for "parallel imports," the hurdles for private imports will be lowered. Of course, even if no additional testing is required, safety must still be guaranteed. The standards for pedestrian protection and automatic braking for U.S. vehicles differ from those in Japan and Europe, and it will be interesting to see how the two countries come to an agreement on this issue. We will continue to monitor developments.

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