JAAI Introduction

The Japan Auto Appraisal Institute (JAAI) was established in 1966 under the approval of the Ministry of International Trade and Industry and the Ministry of Transport. The institute is a fair and neutral public corporation.

JAAI is an organization with a network of 52 branches covering all 47 prefectures in japan, and is the only organization in Japan to conduct export inspections of used cars. Its organizational ability and fairness have been highly evaluated, and since 1967, the Japanese government has authorized JAAI as the quality inspection agency for second-hand Japanese cars exported overseas.

Prior to the Japanese government's abolishment of the export inspection system for used vehicles in 1995 as part of the governmental deregulation, JAAI had conducted 1.8 million vehicle inspections over a period of 30 years.

Based on its inspection record, the accuracy of JAAI's export inspections has gained the recognition of foreign countries. Over the three-year period since the abolishment of the export inspection system in Japan, JAAI has inspected approximately 250,000 vehicles exported to more than 50 countries.

Inspection Information

1. To ensure vehicle safety, accurate inspection using the latest equipment for speedometer, brakes, wheel alignment, and emissions is used. JAAI gives passing grades to those vehicles for which the basic safety functions of driving, cornering, and stopping have been met.

2. The interior and exterior of vehicles are thoroughly inspected during the appearance inspection. In particular, the chassis is inspected for structural safety by inspectors who physically go underneath the vehicles.

3. Inspectors are specially selected among JAAI employees. They are fully trained and educated, and are required to pass strict testing. Even after acquiring their qualifications, inspectors are obliged to regularly attend training sessions to upgrade and improve their skills.

Certification

After passing JAAI's inspection, a label is attached to the vehicle and a certifcation is issued. Because JAAI stores related documents for a period of one year after vehicle inspection, JAAI is able to respond to inquiries on a vehicle's condition, manufacture year, grade, equipment, and mileage at the time of inspection. The standards and regulations on vehicle safety vary in each country, but JAAI is able to conduct inspections according to the conditions set in each country by flexibly altering the inspection details.