Bringing your e-bike to Japan means meeting Japanese standards for power-assisted bicycles. We help overseas manufacturers and brands work toward type approval, from regulatory checks at the design stage to technical coordination with your factory and consultation with the testing bodies.
In Japan, a power-assisted bicycle is treated as a bicycle only if it meets legal standards, including limits on motor assistance that depend on riding speed. Type approval (katashiki nintei) is the system under which each vehicle model is tested and approved against these standards.
Projects often stall before the test itself: strength test data that does not match the vehicle's actual configuration, difficulty showing that the control program meets the standards, or incomplete material certificates and control logs from overseas suppliers.
Our work is on the technical side. As technical consultants, we stay involved in the work toward meeting the standards.
Test applications and type approval applications are submitted by the applicant, in the applicant's own name. We support the technical side of that preparation.
The right approach depends on your business plan, sales volume and brand strategy.
Lets you keep the brand's recognition and design. But if the motor or controller uses proprietary control, adapting it to Japanese standards can be difficult, and changes can cascade until the work approaches new development. It can turn out to be the hardest route.
Uses existing, proven components to create your own brand for Japan. It offers a good balance between practicality and originality. Where an existing platform can be used, it can sometimes be done in a relatively short time with limited risk.
Lets you design to Japanese standards from the start and stand out more easily. It requires larger production lots and investment, but can open up new possibilities.
We work out which approach fits your plans together with you. In many cases, we recommend the second.
Our team is led by engineers who have worked in design and product planning at a major bicycle manufacturer. We read strength test data and control settings in technical terms, and propose concrete design changes and alternative parts.
We work directly with component makers and factories in Taiwan and China in Chinese, without an interpreter. Drawings, test data and control settings can be discussed on the spot, which helps avoid rework caused by miscommunication. We also work in English.
When told "this cannot be accepted," we don't stop there. We look into the basis of the standard or practice and confirm it through the proper channels with the testing bodies and government authorities.
In 2026, a testing body told us that it could not accept type approval applications for e-bikes with saddles longer than 35 cm. We traced the rule to its source, checked with the JTMTA, and made an inquiry to the National Police Agency through a former member of the National Diet. After the NPA explained its position, the JTMTA clarified how it handles such applications, and many models moved on to having their applications accepted.
Note: "Accepted" means the applications were received for processing. It does not mean type approval was granted; testing is still ahead.
We didn't get here by confronting anyone. We checked the rules one by one, and a proper path emerged.
If you are an overseas brand considering the Japanese market or looking for a distributor in Japan, please get in touch. Depending on your plans, we may also be able to discuss introductions to businesses in Japan.
Whether you are still planning, testing a prototype, or already selling, you can talk to us. We work with factories directly in Chinese, without an interpreter, and in English. You can also write to us in Chinese.
