JDM import & eligibility FAQ

KUROGANE (鐵 — 'iron', the old word for it) answers one question with a clock: when can a given Japanese car be imported? Around that clock sit the chassis-code canon, auction-sheet literacy, kei-life guides and Japan's car culture, written from Japan. The shop carries die-cast models and books only.

Never. We don't sell vehicles, take commissions on vehicle sales, or introduce buyers to importers. The only things with buy links are die-cast models, books and goods — disclosed above every buy box. See How we review.

No — and we deliberately never make that call. We explain the structure (US federal 25-year rule, Canada's 15-year rule, why registration is a separate layer) and link official sources. Your registry or customs authority is the only place that can confirm your case.

Vehicles 25 years old or older are exempt from the usual US federal motor-vehicle standards for import. The clock runs from the vehicle's manufacture date — month matters — so a car built in March 1999 clears the federal age bar in March 2024. State registration is a separate hurdle.

Canada's threshold is 15 years from the manufacture date, so cars reach Canada a decade before the US. Provincial registration and inspection requirements are a separate layer on top of the federal age bar.

Per chassis, not per model: build plates, manufacturer records and auction/export paperwork carry it. Model production ranges are a guide, but the individual car's manufacture month is the final basis for eligibility — verify it before buying.

The standardised condition report written by a Japanese dealer auction's own inspectors: an overall grade, interior/exterior scores, and a car diagram marked with symbol codes for dents, scratches, repairs and rust. Learning to read one is the single most valuable importing skill.

We don't keep a 'safe importer' list — endorsements age badly and we stay neutral. Instead we teach the structure: what a legitimate process looks like, which documents to expect, and the questions that expose problems early. Any answer you can't verify in writing is your signal to walk.

Japan's periodic inspection regime (shaken) and dense dealer-auction system move well-kept cars out of domestic circulation relatively young — creating the export supply the rest of the world buys from.

A legally defined Japanese light-vehicle class: strict caps on length, width, height and engine displacement (660cc since the 1990s) in exchange for lower taxes and running costs. Kei trucks, vans and the 90s kei sports cars are its famous shapes.

Two separate layers: a kei truck 25 years old or older clears the federal import bar like any other vehicle, but road registration is a state-level question and varies widely — some states register them readily, others restrict them. Check both layers with official sources before buying.