The country of Japan is sometimes compared to the ‘Galapagos Islands’※ belonging to Ecuador in South America.
Why is it compared to an island 14 000 km away, on the other side of the Pacific Ocean? It is because Japan’s technological culture and climate are sometimes seen as unique and outside of the global norm.
（※ Galapagos Islands: group of islands belonging to the Republic of Ecuador. Officially known as the Colon Islands. Famous for its unique ecosystem, isolated from the outside world. Incidentally, there is no island named ‘Galapagos Island’.）
Other countries outside Japan occasionally use systems that deviate from global standards, but this seems to be particularly the case in Japan.
As we have mentioned several times in previous articles, Japan has a strong unique regional characteristics in comparison with other countries, which is due in part to the fact that it is an island nation separated from the rest of the world by the sea.
There has been traffic between Japan and the Asian continent for over 1,700 years, but these exchanges were very limited. And during the Edo period, the country was closed to the rest of the world. It is only in the last 150 years that global people-to-people exchanges have become the norm.
Although the island was enclosed and closed off by the wall of the sea, it has continued to develop with a certain amount of land area and a spirit of internal harmony. Hence, a strong and unique culture of its own has taken root in Japan. No wonder they are likened to the Galapagos Islands…
The ‘Kei-car’ automobile standard is also unique to Japan.
Smaller cars have historically been built outside Japan, but they were transient products. The Mini (BMC), which originated in the UK, was an excellent car that was released for 41 years, but was also a great solitary.
The Mini and other small cars such as the Messerschmitt KR200, BMW Isetta and, in recent years, the Swatch & Benz Smart, have been developed with an emphasis on economy and ease of handling.
The Japanese ‘Kei-car’ has been developed with the same emphasis on ease of maintenance as those. One of the reasons for the creation of the Kei-car was also influenced by the state of the national economy. About 60～70 years ago, Japan was in the midst of post-war reconstruction and economic growth, and owning a car was a dream of the common man.
A time when everyone wanted a new lifestyle to keep up with the fast-paced world. （Japanese people like to be average. (^_^;) In an era when incomes were still low, ‘Kei-car’ were the easiest cars for ordinary people to buy.
At the same time, the ‘Kei-car’ was well suited to Japanese road conditions.
In countries with vast land areas such as the USA and Canada, large, sturdy cars were necessary, but in Japan, with its many narrow roads and small land area, small cars that could be driven around nimbly were more practical.
In 1955, the「SUZULIGHT」a ‘Kei-car’, was launched by Suzuki Motor Corporation, revolutionising the concept of the microcar, which until then had only been a means of transport in the immediate area.
Image：SUZUKI DIGITAL LIBRARY
Three years later, the「SUBARU 360」, launched by Fuji Heavy Industries under the ‘National Car conception’, achieved explosive sales with excellent overall performance and an inexpensive selling price.
Developed on the model of the German「Volkswagen Type 1」, the「SUBARU 360」 was nicknamed the ‘ladybird’ in Japan, just as the Type 1 was nicknamed the ‘beetle’, and is still loved by classic car fans more than 60 years later.
From this time onwards, the demand for ‘Kei-car’ in the commercial vehicle sector also increased rapidly, and small companies and shopkeepers began to introduce ‘Kei-car’ for commercial use in droves. The ‘Kei-cargo’ and ‘three-wheeled Kei-car’ that drove around the city were also the underpinning of economic growth.
The government, seeing the establishment and expansion of ‘Kei-cars’, began to formulate and implement in earnest the previously provisional ‘light vehicle standards’ and related legislation. The socially recognised ‘Kei-car’ has since continued to develop as a vehicle category unique to Japan.
Is this the character of the Japanese people? Once an established category has potential for development, it will continue to improve and add new features.
Initially, the engine was a two-cylinder 360 cc/16 hp, but over the course of about ten years, power was increased to 40 hp, and even racing engines such as the four-cylinder DOHC were introduced. Since then, the displacement standard has changed from 360 cc to 550 cc to 660 cc, with a slight increase in vehicle size, up to the present day.
Kei-cars are now well established as more user-friendly and family-friendly vehicles, with environmental and economic performance in mind. 34 million vehicles, or 40% of the total 83 million vehicles in Japan in 2024, will be Kei-cars.
Today, the ‘Kei-car’, with its ride quality as good as a regular passenger car and excessive modern equipment, is no longer an inexpensive vehicle, with prices reaching USD 15 000. Nevertheless, it continues to develop further as a popular ownership vehicle for the Japanese.
The Galapagos state of Japan’s car system, at the eastern end of the world, will continue…
Finally… As a personal preference, I have always liked ‘small and precise things’ since I was a child.
I also loved collecting miniature cars and making miniature models. That’s why I have a special attachment to the ‘Kei-car’.
Luxury cars with big bodies and big power are fascinating, but the Kei-car, with its small body and healthy running, was probably like a friend to me.
The images below are photos of our two ‘Kei-cars’ and our family, which we drove more than 20 years ago now. (^^)
