Japan license plates
Format, region codes and a plate generator for Japan.
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Custom text: real plates never carry this combination.
This image is not a license plate: it must not be fitted to a vehicle and does not mean the combination is available.
How to read the plate
A Japanese plate reads in two lines. On top is the place name in kanji or kana (1–4 characters) and the three-digit vehicle class number (多摩 500); below are a hiragana character and a number of 1–4 digits (き 12-34), with short numbers padded with dots (・・12). The name shows where the car is based, not just the issuing office, so the plate is changed when the owner moves. There are 138 such names, 51 of them «local» plates (ご当地ナンバー) introduced since 2006. Private cars have white plates with green characters.
Region map
Click a region to see its codes.
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Region codes
138 regions| Region | Code |
|---|---|
| Iwaki | |
| Tsukuba | |
| Tochigi | |
| Naniwa | |
| Ichinomiya | |
| Mikawa | |
| Mie | |
| Joetsu | |
| Shimonoseki | |
| Setagaya | |
| Kurume | |
| Kyoto | |
| Sendai | |
| Ise-Shima | |
| Izu | |
| Aizu | |
| Sasebo | |
| Saga | |
| Kurashiki | |
| Hachinohe | |
| Hachioji | |
| Izumo | |
| Hakodate | |
| Maebashi | |
| Kitakyushu | |
| Kitami | |
| Tokachi | |
| Chiba | |
| Minamishinshu | |
| Nagoya | |
| Wakayama | |
| Izumi | |
| Shinagawa | |
| Yokkaichi | |
| Tsuchiura | |
| Sakai | |
| Tama | |
| Oita | |
| Omiya | |
| Osaka | |
| Amami | |
| Nara | |
| Himeji | |
| Utsunomiya | |
| Azumino | |
| Muroran | |
| Miyagi | |
| Miyazaki | |
| Fujisan | |
| Toyama | |
| Owari-Komaki | |
| Yamaguchi | |
| Yamagata | |
| Yamanashi | |
| Gifu | |
| Okayama | |
| Okazaki | |
| Iwate | |
| Shimane | |
| Kawaguchi | |
| Kawasaki | |
| Kawagoe | |
| Ichihara | |
| Ichikawa | |
| Obihiro | |
| Hiraizumi | |
| Hiroshima | |
| Shonai | |
| Hirosaki | |
| Tokushima | |
| Ehime | |
| Narita | |
| Tokorozawa | |
| Niigata | |
| Nikko | |
| Asahikawa | |
| Kasugai | |
| Kasukabe | |
| Sapporo | |
| Suginami | |
| Matsudo | |
| Matsumoto | |
| Itabashi | |
| Kashiwa | |
| Yokohama | |
| Mito | |
| Edogawa | |
| Koto | |
| Okinawa | |
| Numazu | |
| Hamamatsu | |
| Shonan | |
| Shiga | |
| Kumamoto | |
| Kumagaya | |
| Shirakawa | |
| Morioka | |
| Sagami | |
| Shiretoko | |
| Ishikawa | |
| Kobe | |
| Fukui | |
| Fukuyama | |
| Fukuoka | |
| Fukushima | |
| Akita | |
| Chikuho | |
| Nerima | |
| Gunma | |
| Narashino | |
| Funabashi | |
| Tomakomai | |
| Katsushika | |
| Sodegaura | |
| Suwa | |
| Toyohashi | |
| Toyota | |
| Koshigaya | |
| Adachi | |
| Nasu | |
| Koriyama | |
| Noda | |
| Kanazawa | |
| Kushiro | |
| Suzuka | |
| Nagaoka | |
| Nagasaki | |
| Nagano | |
| Aomori | |
| Shizuoka | |
| Hida | |
| Asuka | |
| Kagawa | |
| Takasaki | |
| Takamatsu | |
| Kochi | |
| Tottori | |
| Kagoshima |
History
From 1913 prefectures were shown by Latin letters, later by a single kanji (品, 横, 札, 京) — such abbreviations survived on old small plates into the 1970s. Since 1955 the full place name has been used; in Tokyo plates carried no name until 1962. «Local» plates have been issued since 10 October 2006, with new names added in 2006–2008, 2014, 2020 and 2025.
