What is ‘shaken’?
‘Shaken’ (車検) is the term used in Japan for motor vehicle inspection. It is actually an abbreviation of ‘jidoushakensatourokuseido’ (自動車検査登録制度), which is a mouthful even for most native Japanese speakers. The shaken system came into being back in 1951, and just as in most other countries, it ensures that vehicles on the road are in road-worthy condition, and meet the necessary requirements regarding pollution/emissions.
Most Japanese generally have their local dealership or repair shop handle the motor vehicle inspection process, however recently more and more people have started to handle the process themselves, to save on costs. Having a car shop do the vehicle inspection process is certainly convenient but it comes at a cost, usually around 100,000yen at a minimum, depending on the type of vehicle. Running your vehicle through the shaken process yourself however can save you 50% or more on those costs. And shaken usually needs to be done every two years, so getting the hang of this makes a lot of financial sense.
Here is our step-by-step guide on ‘Shaken: How to pass motor vehicle inspection in Japan’, so that you can pass with flying colors on your first try.
Making an online reservation for Shaken
The first step in this whole process is to make a reservation online, by following this link. This is only in Japanese, so we have taken some screenshots to simplify things for you. When making the reservation, you will need to have your current ‘shakensho’ (車検証) (vehicle inspection document) on hand.
Decide the date and time you would like to go to the vehicle inspection center. There are a number of vehicle inspection centers in Tokyo and in most other major cities in Japan, so pick the location closest to you. The office is open from 8:30 to 5pm, with the day split up into four sessions. Choose the time slot that works for you. As a general rule, even if you turn up at an earlier or later time slot on the same day, the officers won’t mind and they will allow you to continue with the inspection. Be careful around lunchtime, as staff take a one hour break between 12 and 1pm. This means if you are running late for round 2, you may have to sit through lunch and wait for everyone to come back at 1pm.
Documents to prepare
- shakensho (車検証): This is the legal certificate that shows the vehicle passed shaken last time.
- jibaiseki hoken (自賠責保険): This is your compulsory 3rd party insurance for the vehicle.
- nozeishomeisho (納税証明書): Proof of road tax paid on the vehicle in the current calendar year. You will either need the receipt of payment, or if you don’t have it, you can get an official nozeishomeisho from your local city office.
- Online reservation booking printout: Make sure you take a screen shot of your online booking, and take it with you.
The three documents below will be provided to you at the vehicle inspection center …
At the vehicle inspection center
When you arrive at the ‘unyukyoku’ (運輸局) (vehicle inspection center), you will need to go to counter 7 on the second floor of building A. Use the QR scanner to scan your shakensho document, and take the three printed sheets from the copy machine. Hand these documents to the officer at the counter, along with your online reservation printout. You will need to add some additional details to the three printed forms, i.e. name, address, phone number, etc.
Next, walk over to Building C, and go to counter 15 (on the first floor), take a number and wait your turn to be served. This is where you will renew your jibaiseki hoken (compulsory 3rd party insurance). Hand the staff your current shakensho and jibaiseki documents, and decide the time period of the insurance you would like. Two years is typical as that will match the period of the shaken documentation. Pay the jibaiseki directly here at this counter and take the documents that they prepared. Next, go to counter 13 and pay the shaken inspection fee. The fee is dependent on the vehicle and the inspection period.
Next, go back to counter 7 on the second floor of Building C. Hand all the documents to the person at the counter. These will include the shakensho, the new jibaiseki insurance, the 3 printed forms that you took from the printer earlier, the nozeishomeisho (proof of tax payment document), and the online reservation screenshot printout. You will likely be asked for the tenken (点検) (vehicle inspection document). If you do not have this, just say you will be doing it later; ‘yarimasu’ in Japanese. He/she will stamp in all the appropriate places and hand back all the forms. Now it is time to drive to the vehicle inspection area. You will probably be told which car lane to use at the last counter point. Motorcycles have their own special lane (lane 2 at Samezu unyukyoku Tokyo). If you are unsure, make sure to ask which lane to use.
*Note: Motorcycles should probably get their headlights checked before doing the inspection, because if the angle of the lights is not correct, you will likely fail the test and have to go around and do it again. Repair/maintenance shops are usually plentiful around any inspection bureau. At the Samezu location near Shinagawa there is one right across the road. For 2500yen (for motorcycles, and slightly more for cars), they will use a machine to check that your headlights (including high beam) are angled correctly and thus not blinding other drivers.
Wait times for the vehicle inspection can vary from 1 min to up to 45 mins, depending on the day and the time. Make sure you are lining up in the correct lane. The inspection order of operation may vary from center to center, but based on Samezu in Tokyo, here is the step-by-step procedure.
Inspection procedure (for cars and motorcycles)
When it’s your turn, greet the staff and hand them you paperwork. First the exterior of the vehicle will be checked. They will check for rust or other signs of damage or age on the body of the vehicle. They will also check that the electrical components are working fine, brake lights, indicator lights (front and rear), reverse lights, horn, windshield wipers and washers, etc. The attendant will inspect the vehicle engine number to make sure it matches the paperwork. They are also checking for illegal customization of the vehicle (oversized handle bars for motorcycles for example).
Emissions test
To test the level of carbon emitted from the exhaust, a device will be inserted into the exhaust pipe of the car/bike. Wait for 20-30 seconds to pass this test. Green light for pass, red light for fail. The paperwork should then be stamped to show that you passed this section of the text.
Test procedure for cars
Wheel alignment is usually the first test. Hold the steering wheel firmly and then drive slowly between two white lines. If the car moves outside the two lines, you will be failed. After this the car’s suspension is checked. Once again, hold the steering wheel tightly while the machine vigorously shakes the car up and down, and side to side. If your suspension is working normally you will pass the test.
Next, drive onto the rolling road, and when told, accelerate slowly up to 40km/h and flash the headlights when the speedometer is at 40km/hr.
The next part of the test is designed to check that the car’s headlights are at the correct angle, and therefore are not going to be blinding oncoming traffic. Right and left lights are checked individually. Remember that you will need to have the lights on high beam for this part of the test. Just sit in neutral and wait for the process to be completed.
Brakes will also be tested, both the front brake and the handbrake. Follow the instructions on the screen, or follow the instructions of the staff. Remember to put the car in neutral. When all these steps are complete, put your documentation into the machine and to have them stamped.
The final part of the test is the inspection of the bottom of the vehicle. Drive up to the next section, and drive carefully onto the ramp. Wait here in neutral while the underside of the car is checked. Turn off the ignition here for safety reasons. A technician will inspect a number of components on the base or underside of the car. You may be asked to turn the steering wheel from side to side and push hard on the brakes, in addition to one or two other things. When the inspection is finished and you are instructed to do so, drive forward off the ramps. The test is complete. Park the vehicle briefly and give your paperwork to the attendant sitting in the booth at the end of the inspection center. He will gives your documentation a few more stamps for good measure.
Test procedure for motorcycles
After the emissions test, the inspection process for motorcycles differs from for cars, vans and trucks. First of all, make sure the test machine is set up correctly for front-wheel speedometer or rear-wheel speedometer. Ride the motorcycle forward onto the track/rail and roll forward so that the front wheel is in the correct position for the brake test. Put the bike in neutral and put your left foot on the special foot pedal on the ground. Look at the screen and when you are notified to use the front brake, do so immediately. If all is ok, you will get a green check mark. If the odometer is on the front wheel, then next will be the speed test. If the odometer is on the rear wheel, then roll forward so that the rear wheel is in the correct position. The rear brake test is essentially the same as for the front brake. Just follow the prompts on screen.
Next is the speedometer test. Make sure the bike is in neutral. Put your foot on the special pedal on the ground. The machine will start to turn, and the bike wheel will turn with it, increasing the speedometer sensor. When the speedometer reaches 40km/hr, take your foot off the special pedal on the floor. This will stop the roller from spinning. A green check will indicate that you have passed this test.
The last part of the test is the headlight check. Roll forward to the correct position, marked by a yellow or white line. Put the bike in neutral, switch the lights to high-beam and wait. A special machine will place itself in front of the bike and will check the headlight angle. If all goes well, you will receive another green check mark.
Roll the bike forward off the testing area and once again put the paperwork into the machine and receive the confirmation stamps. Then ride forward to the office window. Here, you will hand another attendant all your stamped paperwork. He will do one more final review of all the paperwork, stamp a few more times and hand you back the paperwork. You’re almost done!
*In the event that a vehicle fails the test, owners have the ability to fix their vehicles at one of the many surrounding garages. In addition, owners can reenter the lane and take the test up to three times in a single day at no extra cost.
The Final Step
The final step is to submit all the paperwork back in building C on the second floor at counter 5, next to where you got everything stamped at counter 6. Hand in the old shakensho and the inspection paperwork, and take another number. When your number is called, you will receive your new shakensho and the new sticker that will need to be stuck on the number plate of the vehicle (for motorcycles), or on the front windshield of a car, van or truck. OK, now you’re done. Congratulations!
