Driving in Japan is one of the best ways to reach places trains don’t go — but an accident, even a minor fender-bender in a parking lot, triggers a specific legal and insurance process that catches most foreign visitors off guard. Japanese law requires you to report every accident to the police, no matter how small, and your insurance claim won’t go anywhere without the paperwork that process generates. Here’s exactly what to do, in order, and what it will cost you.
The first five minutes: safety and the law
Stop the car. If it’s drivable and not blocking traffic dangerously, Japanese drivers generally move vehicles to the shoulder or a nearby safe spot — but don’t drive off before exchanging information, even for a scrape with no visible damage. Turn on your hazard lights, and if you have the warning triangle or reflective sign that comes standard in the trunk of almost every Japanese rental car, set it up behind the vehicle.
If anyone is injured, call an ambulance first: 119. For the accident itself, call the police: 110. Both are free from any phone, including a Japanese rental SIM or pocket wifi-tethered phone with a basic calling plan — if you have no calling ability at all, flag down a passerby or use a nearby shop’s phone. Reporting to police isn’t optional: under Japan’s Road Traffic Law, failing to report an accident (even one with no injuries) is itself a punishable offense, and separately, your rental insurance will not pay out without the police report.
Call the rental company immediately
Your rental agreement and the sticker on the dashboard or sun visor list a 24-hour emergency number — call it right after (or while waiting for) the police. Major chains like Toyota Rent a Car, Nippon Rent-A-Car, Times Car Rental, and Orix Rent-A-Car all staff English-language support lines for exactly this situation, and they will walk you through next steps, arrange a tow or replacement car if needed, and tell you where to drop off any paperwork. Do not skip this call even if the damage looks trivial — rental companies often require same-day notification as a condition of honoring your insurance coverage.
What the police will do
Expect the process to take anywhere from 30 minutes to a couple of hours, especially in rural areas where officers may need to drive out from the nearest station. They’ll ask you and the other driver (if any) for licenses, take statements, measure the scene, and sometimes ask you to accompany them to the station to finish paperwork. This is where your license matters: Japan requires either a Japanese driver’s license, an International Driving Permit issued under the 1949 Geneva Convention, or (for a short list of countries including Switzerland, Germany, France, Belgium, Monaco, and Taiwan) your home license plus an official Japanese translation. If your IDP or license situation isn’t in order, this is the moment it becomes a serious problem, so double-check before you ever picked up the car.
Before the officer leaves, confirm you understand how to get your jiko shoumei (交通事故証明書, traffic accident certificate). This is the document your insurer requires to process a claim, issued by the local Japan Safe Driving Center for a small fee (around ¥1,000) a few days after the police file their report. The rental company can usually tell you which center covers the area and whether they’ll request it for you.
Exchanging information and documenting the scene
- Photograph both vehicles from multiple angles, including license plates, the damage close-up, and the wider scene showing positions and any traffic signals or signs.
- Get the other driver’s name, phone number, license plate, and insurance company if there’s another party involved.
- If there are witnesses, ask for contact details — Japanese accident investigations rely heavily on statements, and a neutral witness can matter later if fault is disputed.
- Note the time, weather, and road conditions while they’re fresh in your memory; language barriers during the police interview can make it hard to add detail afterward.
Translation apps work reasonably well for this exchange, but if the other driver is agitated or the situation feels like it’s escalating, it’s fine to simply wait for police rather than trying to resolve things directly.
Understanding what you’ll actually pay
This is where rental insurance structure in Japan trips up a lot of visitors. The basic coverage bundled into almost every rental includes a Collision Damage Waiver (CDW), but it comes with a deductible/excess — typically ¥50,000–¥100,000 — that you owe regardless of fault. Separately, most Japanese rental contracts charge a Non-Operation Charge (NOC): a fee of roughly ¥20,000–¥50,000 that compensates the company for the days the car is out of service for repairs, charged even if the accident wasn’t your fault and even if your CDW covers the repair cost itself.
- Budget: accept the standard CDW and risk the ¥50,000–¥100,000 excess plus NOC if something happens — fine if you’re a careful driver on quiet roads and want to save ¥1,000–¥2,000 a day.
- Mid-range: most counters offer an optional “safety package” or “anshin hoshou” add-on for about ¥1,000–¥2,200 per day that waives the excess entirely — worth it for mountain passes, unfamiliar manual parking, or longer multi-day rentals.
- Splurge: some companies sell a premium package that also waives the NOC fee, which is the only way to walk away from a not-at-fault accident paying nothing at all.
Decide on this coverage at the counter, before you drive off — it can’t be added retroactively after an accident.
Where this matters most on the road
Narrow, poorly lit rural roads are where most visitor accidents happen — tight mountain switchbacks, single-lane bridges, and sudden wildlife crossings are common on routes to places like Cape Sata at the southern tip of Kagoshima or the winding approach roads around Gero Onsen in Gifu. If a destination is reachable by rail instead — the Nankai Koya Line up to Koyasan is a good example — it’s worth weighing whether the convenience of a car is worth the added risk on roads you don’t know.
After the paperwork is done
Once the police report and jiko shoumei are in hand, the rental company’s insurance desk handles most of the claim process, and you’ll typically settle the excess or NOC fee by credit card before or shortly after returning the car. If the accident was more serious or left you shaken, it’s worth knowing that English-speaking counseling support exists in Japan too — this guide to finding English-speaking mental health support is a useful resource if you need to talk through a stressful experience while still traveling. Keep copies (photos on your phone are fine) of every document you’re given, since claims processed after you’ve left Japan sometimes need you to resend information to your travel insurer back home.