If a child will be a passenger in a car I intend to rent, do I need a child seat? Yes, you do.
According to Japanese law, the driver must ensure that any passenger younger than 6 years old is seated in a child seat! (Road Traffic Act, art. 71, § 3, cl. 4.)
Breaking this law does not result in a fine, but instead counts as a 1 point offence that will be recorded on your driver's license.
Accordingly, Japanese rental offices can be expected to refuse to rent out a car with a child under the age of 6 as a passenger unless the driver has booked a child seat, or brought a child seat of their own.
The table below is intended to give you an idea of what type of child seat may be suitable for your child (but please note that the numbers are approximations).
| Baby seat | Child seat | Junior seat |
|---|---|---|
 |
 |
 |
| Weight: less than 13 Kg | Weight： 9 Kg - 15 Kg | Weight： less than 36 Kg |
| Height: less than 60 cm | Height: 65 cm - 100 cm | Height: less than 138 cm |
| Age: less than 9 months | Age: 9 months - 4 years | Age: 4 years and over |
Child seat fees depend on the rental company, but to give you a few examples the fees of 3 major rental chains are listed below (note though that these are merely the prices listed on their websites at the time of writing):
| Baby seat | Child seat | Junior seat | |
| Nissan Rent-A-Car | 550 yen per day (up to a max of 1,100 yen） | ||
| Budget Rent a Car | 1,100 yen per rental | ||
| SKY RENT-A-CAR | 1,100 yen per rental | 550 yen per rental | |
| Suzuki Rental Car Fukuoka | 500 yen per day | 400 yen per day | |
However, there are a number of safety reasons why we do not recommend doing so:
In other words, it's legally permissable but dangerous, so it's better to install child seats on the safer rear seats.
If you are not sure how to install a child seat, rental office crew may assist you, but it is the driver's responsibility to perform a final check to confirm the safety of the seat.
r compact cars with a 4 or 5 passenger capacity (e.g., Honda Fit)
Minivans and station wagons with a 7 or 8 passenger capacity (e.g., Toyota Wish)
*The number of installable child seats differs vehicle to vehicle, so for specific information please inquire at your rental car company of choice.
