>You also rarely see old cars on the road because (my understanding is) that taxes incentivize people to ditch old cars quickly and get new ones. This is corre

>You also rarely see old cars on the road because (my understanding is) that taxes incentivize people to ditch old cars quickly and get new ones. This is correct. You have to pay a hefty bi-annual inspection fee (beginning three years after a new purchase) to keep a vehicle on the road if it's over 250cc: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motor-vehicle_inspection_%28Japan%29 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motor-vehicle_inspection_%28Ja... At some point in a vehicle's life, it becomes more economically viable to get rid of it than to keep it up to snuff to pass the inspection. The other vehicle taxes are also based on displacement, so you'll see lots of cute little 1.3L or lower displacement inline-four vans riding around. I kept turning my head because I thought I was hearing motorcycles!