We use cookies

This website uses cookies to provide necessary website functionality, improve your experience and analyze our traffic. By using our website, you agree to our Privacy Policy and our cookies usage.

Japan

ANPR for Japan

Japanese License Plate Format

Japanese vehicle registration plates fall into two classes: Prefectural (used nationwide) and Municipal (typically applicable to motor vehicles not leaving area, such as light motorcycles). Prefectural system: top line names office where vehicle registered + numeric code indicating vehicle class, bottom contains one serial letter (typically kana) + up to four digits. Classes divided by vehicle type and engine size.

Plate Format

Top line: Issuing office name (kanji) + vehicle class code (1-3 digits displayed as 2-3 digits)
Bottom line: 1 hiragana character + 4-digit serial number with hyphen (leading zeros replaced by centered dots)
Example: 横浜 330 き 21-41 where 横浜 = Yokohama office, 330 = vehicle class, き = hiragana, 21-41 = serial

Script

Kanji, hiragana, Arabic numerals (standard), Roman letters (international travel plates only)

Office Codes

横浜 – Yokohama, 名古屋 – Nagoya, 大阪 – Ōsaka, なにわ – Naniwa, 神戸 – Kōbe, 札幌 – Sapporo, 福岡 – Fukuoka, 仙台 – Sendai, 広島 – Hiroshima, 京都 – Kyōto, and other codes

Vehicle Class Codes

1xx: Large truck exceeding standard limitations
2xx: Small to medium bus
3xx: Passenger car with displacement larger than 2000cc or exceeding compact car size regulations
4xx: Light commercial truck/van (max 4.7m × 1.7m × 2m, displacement ≤2000cc petrol, no limit diesel/LPG)
5xx: Passenger car with displacement under 2000cc (max 4.7m × 1.7m)
800: Special vehicle requiring yearly inspection with displacement greater than 660cc
900: Tractor or forklift 000: Construction equipment

Special Plate Types in Japan

Commercial

Green background with white text, same format as private vehicles but different hiragana characters (あいうえかきくけこを) (e.g., 京都 500 あ 46-49)

Kei Cars – Private

Yellow background with black text, engine displacement under 660cc (e.g., 北見 580 あ 46-49)

Kei Cars – Commercial

Black background with yellow text, engine displacement under 660cc (e.g., 鹿児島 480 り 46-49)

Vanity Numbers

Custom numbers available since May 19, 1998 if not already in use, reservation available for all vehicle types

Rental Vehicles

White plates use bold hiragana characters (わ, れ, or specific rental characters) to indicate rental status

Foreign Diplomatic

Blue background with white text, kanji 外 (gai = foreign) or circled 外, format 外-NNNN (e.g., 外-3006, ㊖13401)

Jikō-shiki Illuminated Plates

Green characters replaced with molded green plastic that illuminates from behind, blue version available since 2010 (e.g., なにわ300 ろ 46-49)

U.S. Military SOFA

Letter “Y” on white plates (standard vehicles) or “A” on yellow plates (kei cars) instead of hiragana character, for U.S. military personnel under Status of Forces Agreement (e.g., 沖縄 330 Y 12-20)

Imperial Household

Black background with gold chrysanthemum emblem and kanji 皇 with single digit number, exempt from standard plate requirement, only for Emperor/Empress vehicles

Key features of the ANPR for Japan

Accuracy

97% – 99%

Supported plates

European, South American, Asian and South African, Middle East

Lpr + Container

It can run with Container Recognition support

SDK support

C++ / C# / Java / Python

Image & Stream Based Recognition

Windows x64, Ubuntu, Arm

Analytics

Our LPR application performs vehicle Make, Color, and Type classification.

Android

Supports Android phones and tablets.

Adr Plate

Performs additional ADR plate recognition alongside standard license plate recognition.

License Plate Country Classification.

Germany / Poland / Türkiye… etc.

CPU & GPU

Supports both CPU and GPU processing.

Multiple Plate Recognition

Supports detection and recognition of multiple license plates in a single image or frame

Interested in Japanese License Plate Recognition?

Let us know and discover how our ANPR solution can transform your operations!

Global Coverage

Our ANPR system supports license plate recognition across multiple countries and regions. Each implementation is optimized for local plate formats, scripts, and regulatory requirements to ensure accurate detection in diverse environments.