Getting around
Do You Need a Car Seat in Japan? What Applies to Visiting Families
By the kyounoko team — Tokyo parents. We get asked this more than almost anything else.
Last verified: August 2026 · written in Tokyo
In Japan a child under six must use a child restraint in a private or rental car, and it is the driver’s legal responsibility. Taxis and buses are exempt, and there is no requirement on trains — which is why most families visiting Tokyo never have to deal with the question at all.
Exempt is not the same as safe. The taxi exemption is a legal fact about who can be fined, not a statement that riding without a restraint is as safe as riding with one. It exists because taxis are a public service, not because the physics are different. Decide for your own family with that distinction clear.
Where it applies, and where it does not
Rental car
Required
A child under six must be in an appropriate child restraint. Rental companies rent seats, but stock is limited and the right size for your child is not guaranteed on the day — reserve the seat at the same time as the car, not on arrival.
Taxi
Exempt
Taxis are exempt from the requirement, and virtually none carry a child seat. You will not be refused for travelling without one. This is why taxis are a practical option from the airport even with a baby.
Bus (including airport limousine)
Exempt
Buses are exempt too. On the airport limousine bus a small child normally travels on your lap, or in their own seat with a normal seatbelt.
Friend’s or family car
Required
The rule follows the vehicle, not the owner. If someone drives you in a private car, a child under six needs a restraint — the driver is the one responsible for it.
Train, subway, Shinkansen
Not applicable
No restraint requirement exists on rail. This is the main reason most visiting families with small children never deal with the question at all in Tokyo.
What this means in practice for a Tokyo trip
If your trip is Tokyo and day trips by train, the honest answer is that you can ignore the whole subject. We raise children in this city and use a car perhaps a handful of times a year; the rail network reaches everything a visiting family wants to see, strollers ride open without folding, and parking in central Tokyo is both scarce and expensive.
The question becomes real in two situations. The first is the airport transfer, where a taxi is genuinely convenient and legally fine without a seat — decide in advance whether you are comfortable with that, because the taxi rank is a bad place to discover you are not. The second is a rural leg: if you are renting a car for the countryside, reserve the child seat with the car and confirm the size against your child’s current weight and height.
Weighing up the transfer from the airport? Our Narita and Haneda guide compares every option on how many times you have to pick your luggage back up. For the city itself, trains with a stroller covers the elevators and the hours to avoid.
Common questions
Do you need a car seat in Japan?
In a private or rental car, yes: children under six must use an appropriate child restraint, and it is the driver’s legal responsibility. Taxis and buses are exempt from the requirement, and there is no requirement on trains. Most visiting families never encounter the rule because they travel by rail throughout.
Do taxis in Japan have car seats?
Almost never, and they are not required to. Taxis are exempt from the child-restraint rule, so a child may legally ride held on your lap or belted in. If travelling that way is not acceptable to you, take the train instead — in Tokyo it is usually faster and always cheaper.
Can I bring my own car seat to Japan?
Yes, and most airlines carry a car seat free as child equipment — check with yours. It is worth it if you have a road trip planned or if you would not otherwise be comfortable in a taxi. If your whole trip is Tokyo by train, it is a large item to carry for no benefit.
Can I rent a car seat in Japan?
Yes. Every major rental company offers child and infant seats as an add-on, and baby-equipment rental services will deliver a seat to a hotel. Book it when you book the car: seats are limited in number and the right size for your child’s age and weight is not guaranteed if you ask on the day.
What age can a child stop using a car seat in Japan?
The requirement applies until the child’s sixth birthday. After that a normal seatbelt is legally sufficient — though a booster remains the safer choice until the belt fits properly across the shoulder and hips, which for most children is well after six.
Do we need a car in Japan with kids?
For Tokyo, no — the trains go everywhere, strollers ride open, and parking is expensive and scarce. A car becomes worth considering only for rural trips, and even then the Shinkansen plus a local rental at the destination is often easier than driving out of the city.
This is general orientation for visitors, not legal advice. Rules and rental-company practice can change — confirm with your rental company when you book.