Japanese shaken certificate translator
Type in or upload a Japanese shaken certificate, or the recorded-matters sheet or PDF of an electronic one. We translate it, pull out the dated odometer readings, and check them against the car’s UK MOTs.
How to read a Japanese shaken certificate
The shaken is Japan’s roadworthiness inspection, and the certificate (自動車検査証, or 車検証) is the car’s official registration and inspection record. Before 2023 it was a single A4 sheet kept in the glovebox. Cars that have been through an inspection since 4 January 2023 have the electronic version: a small IC card, with the full details printed on an A4 sheet called the 自動車検査証記録事項 (recorded matters).
Both carry the same boxes. The card itself shows only the chassis number, model code and a few basics; the odometer readings and the inspection expiry are on the recorded-matters sheet, so ask for that.
The boxes on a shaken certificate
| On the document | In English | What it tells you |
|---|---|---|
| 登録番号tōroku bangō | Japanese registration number | The Japanese number plate, such as 品川 300 あ 12-34. It stops being valid once the car is exported. |
| 登録年月日 / 交付年月日tōroku nengappi / kōfu nengappi | Date registered / date issued | When this document was issued. On an export certificate, that is when the car came off the Japanese register. |
| 初度登録年月shodo tōroku nengetsu | First registration (year and month) | When the car was first registered in Japan. The DVLA should use this as the date of first registration, which sets the car’s age and tax band. |
| 自動車の種別jidōsha no shubetsu | Vehicle class | 普通 (ordinary), 小型 (small) or 軽 (kei). Kei cars have their own export certificate, the 輸出予定届出証明書. |
| 用途yōto | Use | 乗用 is a passenger car, 貨物 a goods vehicle. |
| 自家用・事業用の別jikayō / jigyōyō no betsu | Private or commercial | 自家用 is private. 事業用 means paid transport, such as a taxi or haulage, which usually means high mileage. |
| 車体の形状shatai no keijō | Body shape | For example 箱型 (box), ステーションワゴン (estate) or クーペ (coupe). |
| 車名shamei | Make | The manufacturer, such as トヨタ (Toyota) or 日産 (Nissan). The model name itself is not on the document. |
| 型式katashiki | Model code | The type approval code, such as DBA-AGH30W. The letters before the hyphen are the emissions class; the rest should match the start of the chassis number. |
| 車台番号shadai bangō | Chassis (frame) number | The car’s identity, such as AGH30-0899123. It must match the chassis plate and the V5C exactly. |
| 原動機の型式gendōki no katashiki | Engine model | The engine code, such as 2JZ or RB26. A different code from the model’s usual engine points to an engine swap. |
| 総排気量又は定格出力sō haikiryō | Engine size | In litres, such as 2.99 L. The UK record gives it in cc. |
| 燃料の種類nenryō no shurui | Fuel | ガソリン (petrol), 軽油 (diesel) or ガソリン・電気 (petrol hybrid). |
| 乗車定員jōsha teiin | Seats | How many people the car is registered to carry. |
| 車両重量 / 車両総重量sharyō jūryō / sharyō sōjūryō | Weight / gross weight | In kg. Useful when registering the car in the UK. |
| 長さ・幅・高さnagasa / haba / takasa | Length, width, height | In cm. |
| 型式指定番号・類別区分番号katashiki shitei bangō | Type approval numbers | Identify the exact factory specification. Blank on a car that was modified and re-approved. |
| 有効期間の満了する日yūkō kikan no manryō suru hi | Inspection expiry | When the shaken ran out. On an export certificate it can be long past if the car was laid up. |
| 備考bikō | Remarks | Where the odometer readings from past inspections are written, along with any recorded modifications. |
| 走行距離計表示値sōkō kyorikei hyōjichi | Odometer reading | The mileage at an inspection, with its date. 旧 in front means the inspection before. |
| 総走行距離の最大値sō sōkō kyori no saidaichi | Highest total mileage | Added when a reading went down, usually after a meter change. A red flag if you see it. |
| 所有者の氏名又は名称 / 住所shoyūsha no shimei / jūsho | Owner’s name and address | Personal data. Our reader never copies it, and you can cover it before you take the photo. |
| 使用者 / 使用の本拠の位置shiyōsha / shiyō no honkyo no ichi | User and where the car was kept | Personal data too. Never copied. |
The mileage record
Every inspection since 2004 records the odometer. The certificate shows the reading at this inspection (走行距離計表示値) and the one before (旧走行距離計表示値), each with its date, rounded down to the 100 km below. Since 2017, if a reading went down, it also shows the highest total recorded (総走行距離の最大値), which usually means the meter was changed.
A seller who still has old shaken certificates from earlier inspections has a longer mileage history than the export certificate alone. Read each one and the readings join up on one timeline with the UK MOTs.
Reading Japanese dates
Dates are written by era and year, then month and day, as in 令和3年10月5日 or R3.10.5 (5 October 2021). 元年 means the first year of an era.
| 令和 (R) | Reiwa | R1 is 2019 (from 1 May). Add 2018: R3 is 2021. |
| 平成 (H) | Heisei | H1 is 1989. Add 1988: H28 is 2016. H31 ended on 30 April 2019. |
| 昭和 (S) | Showa | Add 1925: S63 is 1988. |
Is the PDF genuine?
The recorded-matters PDF carries an electronic signature that confirms the data in the file hasn’t been changed since it was issued. A photo, a scan or a printout can’t prove that, so for an expensive car ask the seller to send the PDF itself. We read what the document says; we can’t confirm a signature.
Like export certificates, shaken records name the owner and user. Our reader never copies a name or address, and we don’t keep the file. See our privacy notice.
Questions
- What is a shaken certificate?
- The 自動車検査証 (jidōsha kensashō), or 車検証 (shakenshō) for short, is the certificate a Japanese car gets each time it passes its roadworthiness inspection, the shaken. It must be kept in the car. It names the car, its chassis number, model code and engine, its first registration date and when the inspection runs out, and records the odometer at the inspection.
- What changed with the electronic shaken in 2023?
- Since 4 January 2023, cars going through registration or inspection get a small IC card instead of the A4 paper certificate. The card shows only the basics; everything else, including the odometer readings, is on the chip and printed on a separate A4 sheet, the 自動車検査証記録事項 (recorded matters). That sheet can also be downloaded as a PDF with an electronic signature, which is the copy to ask the seller for.
- How often is a Japanese car inspected?
- A new private car is first inspected at three years old and every two years after that. Commercial vehicles are inspected more often. Each inspection records the odometer, so a car that stayed on the road in Japan has a reading every two years.
- Is a shaken certificate the same as an export certificate?
- No. The shaken certificate is the car’s current inspection record while it is registered in Japan. When the car is exported it is taken off the register and gets an export certificate instead, which repeats the last shaken details. Our reader handles both.
Have the export certificate? See how to read a Japanese export certificate. Have the auction sheet? Use the auction sheet translator.