Japan Odometer Certification Institute (JOCI)

Japan is a leading source in the area of automobile industry. Within a year, Japan produced and export large numbers of vehicles. Not only new vehicles, but used vehicles are also exported from Japan. With each passing day, the popularity of Japanese used vehicles is increasing. Almost all countries across the world are importing used vehicles from Japan. Buying a used vehicle is not a difficult thing to do, but it just require little awareness from buyers in order to judge the authenticity of the dealer one dealing with.

Japanese exporters are known for delivering quality and reliable vehicles at affordable prices. Many of them are in this business for past many years, but there are some exporters who in order to earn profit deliver faulty vehicles to importers. One of the most common frauds done on the vehicle is odometer tampering. Odometer fraud is an unauthorized way to display lower mileage than the actual by altering the vehicle’s odometer. Hence, to avoid consumers to buy faulty vehicle, odometer inspection is done on the vehicle before it is purchased.

Japan Odometer Certification Institute (JOCI), a substitute organization of Nippon Jidosha Service registered in Japan was established to help buyers or vehicle importers to identify vehicles with rolled back odometers. The institute has been involved in certification of odometer readings in all types of used vehicles. JOCI is an independent organization which provides online odometer certification service.

Process to certify odometer reading of the vehicle:-

• Make a request for the certificate.
• For certificating one vehicle, JOCI charges around 3,000 Japanese Yen including taxes.
• JOCI will send a mail to the client. Verify the link and download the certificate.
  
  JOCI also provide E-certification. It is the certification of the vehicle that shows original odometer reading at the time of last auction or registration in Japan.

Documents required:-

• Client has to give a copy of cancel registration certificate or export certificate of the vehicle.
• Documents such as current odometer reading should be provided after the complete inspection of the vehicle. Client must provide correct and accurate reading. Failing to do so may lead to black listing of the client in JOCI and Nippon Auto Auction Kyogikai (NAK) databases.
• Name of the dealer in Japan from which client has bought the vehicle.
  
  The records of the odometer readings of the vehicle are verified in JOCI database. Database of JOCI is one the largest databases of automobiles sold and manufactured in Japan. Records of customers are kept with JOCI for at least seven years, in case any customer requires records at any point of time.

Odometer readings recorded as follows in the database:-

• The time owner registered the vehicle at any of Vehicle License Centers in Japan.
• Time of maintenance and repair work by any authorized agent.
• Time when Shaken is renewed.
• whenever somebody tries to verify odometer records online for their vehicle in JOCI database.

JOCI has access to odometer reading data of all vehicles sold in Japan auction halls. In case, the wrong information is provided by the applicant, then it may lead to blacklisting of the applicant and the vehicle. Once black listed, the vehicle owner and the vehicle will never be removed from the black list.

Services offered by JOCI to its customers are fast and cost-effective. JOCI issues the certificate to the customer within two days of request for the certificate. On every certificate issued, a security code is printed on it. The original certificate can be downloaded at any number of times using the security code and the vehicle chassis number from JOCI official website.