Renting a Car or Car Share in Japan: Photos to Take Before and After, and What to Do About Damage Charges (NOC)

Last reviewed October 16, 2026 · 12 min read · By the PEA team (Lumina Spark)

日本語版 (Japanese version)

Short answer: Photograph the car both when you pick it up and before you return it: the whole car (with the license plate visible) and every existing mark. Japan's National Consumer Affairs Center (NCAC) says photos at return are useful, not just before use. At pickup, check the car together with the staff and point out any marks missing from the check sheet. If you damage the car, however slightly, contact the police and the rental company; companies generally won't apply insurance or coverage if you don't. If you're billed for damage you don't recognize after returning the car, ask for the basis and an itemized breakdown before paying, and compare with your photos. This article is based on the official information of major Japanese companies as of October 2026, and is general information, not legal advice.

Why photograph a rental car in Japan

NCAC receives around 500 consultations a year about rental cars and car sharing (468 to 526 a year in fiscal 2016–2019). Cases it describes include:

  • A customer was told at return that there was no problem, then got a call at the airport, signed a written undertaking, and paid ¥20,000 in loss-of-business compensation (2021 warning).
  • A customer photographed the car on a phone before driving and the return inspection found no problem, but the company later claimed a side-mirror scratch found during cleaning (March 28, 2025 warning, "Record, check, and contact").

The 2025 warning says taking photos at return as well as before use is effective. The Japan Rent-a-Car Association also explains that the customer manages the car while renting it, so marks that weren't found at the pre-rental check can end up being the customer's responsibility even if they don't remember causing them. Photos from before and after help show when a mark appeared.

How major companies check the car

From the official guides and terms of major rental companies (October 2026):

CompanyAt pickupAt return
Toyota Rent a CarCheck scratches and dents together with store staff (the terms require checking the exterior against an inspection sheet)Staff check for scratches; return completes after the customer's final check
Nippon Rent-A-CarTerms require an exterior check; with unstaffed self-service rental, check for scratches yourself before drivingReturned with an inspection
ORIX Rent-A-CarCheck the exterior after the explanation and point out any marksStaff check the car
Times Car RentalCheck exterior, tires and interior. With "Pitto Go", check against the sheet provided and report marks not on itCheck together with staff
Nico Nico Rent a CarA vehicle condition check is part of the processVehicle condition checked. For after-hours returns, the condition is checked the next business day and extra charges may be billed later if there is damage
Nissan Rent a CarCheck scratches, fuel and mileage with staff and tell them about scratches or dentsCheck together with staff

We found no official statement from these companies either recommending or permitting customers to take their own photos, and Nico Nico Rent a Car's terms prohibit photographing its offices, stores and premises without permission. Before photographing at a store, ask the staff, for example "May I take photos of the car to record the existing scratches?" In one NCAC case, the store itself told the customer to take photos and video with their own phone.

What to photograph at pickup

WhatHow
The whole carFront, back, both sides and all four corners at 45 degrees; at least one shot showing the license plate
Each panelFront and rear bumpers, doors, fenders, hood, roof, trunk
Easy-to-miss spotsWheels and tires (curb rash), door mirrors, lights, windshield (chips and cracks), the underside of the bumpers
InteriorSeats (stains, burn holes), dashboard, ceiling, luggage area
Dashboard readingsMileage and fuel gauge
Existing marksA wide shot showing where, plus a close-up; put a finger or ruler next to it for size
PaperworkThe store's vehicle check sheet with marks noted, and your copy of the contract

Tips:

  • Check with the staff as you shoot, and have any unlisted mark added to the sheet on the spot.
  • Walk around the car on video, starting at the license plate and going clockwise, so positions and the car's identity are clear.
  • Mind the light. In indoor car parks or at night, shine your phone light at an angle to pick up shallow scratches; rain hides scratches.
  • Don't edit the originals; edit copies if you need to.

What to photograph before you return it

  • The same angles in the same order as at pickup, so differences are easy to spot.
  • Mileage, fuel gauge and the fuel receipt.
  • Proof of return (anything showing the return time, a signed check).
  • Take extra care with unstaffed returns (after-hours drop-off): the condition is checked the next business day, and marks found then can be billed later.

If you damage the car or find damage

  • Report it to the police. Article 72 of the Road Traffic Act requires drivers involved in a traffic accident to report the date, place, what was damaged and how badly to a police officer, and accidents that only damage property count. In an emergency, call 110.
  • Contact the rental company right away. Companies treat any scratch or dent as an accident, whatever its size and whether or not another party was involved, and say that returning the car without reporting means insurance and coverage won't apply and you'll pay yourself. ORIX says even a hit-and-run while parked needs a police report.
  • No police report, no accident certificate. The Japan Safe Driving Center says it can't issue a traffic accident certificate for accidents not reported to the police, and insurance claims need one.
  • Photograph the place and, if there's another party, the situation. For what to photograph at an accident scene, see car accident in Japan.

What NOC is

NOC (non-operation charge) is a fee the customer pays toward the company's lost business while the car is off the road for repair or cleaning after an accident or soiling. Official amounts as of October 2026:

CompanyCar driven back to the agreed storeCar can't be driven, etc.
Toyota, Nippon, ORIX, Nico Nico¥20,000¥50,000
Times Car Rental, Nissan (by car class)¥20,000 / ¥30,000 / ¥50,000¥50,000 / ¥70,000 / ¥100,000
Times Car, Mitsui Car Shares, d Car Share (car sharing)¥20,000¥50,000
  • Nippon Rent-A-Car and Times Car Rental state that the amount is fixed regardless of the extent of the damage or the repair time.
  • NOC is charged separately even if you bought the collision damage waiver; companies offer add-on plans that waive NOC.
  • We found no company saying small scratches are exempt from NOC. In one NCAC case, a scratch about the size of an index finger led to a ¥20,000 NOC despite full coverage. The Japan Rent-a-Car Association advises that if you're charged NOC for a small scratch that hardly seems to need repair, you check whether the car was actually repaired.

Car sharing

There's no staff check with car sharing; you inspect the car and report damage yourself.

  • Times Car: inspect during the check time before your reservation starts and answer the in-use survey. Report damage that doesn't affect driving through the form after the survey, and damage that does by phone. Damage during use, even a light bump or a stone chip, must be reported by phone on the spot; if you don't report it before returning the car, coverage won't apply and your membership can be canceled. Its terms say you're responsible from the start of use to the end of the return process, and that car park camera images may be used, for example to identify unreported accidents.
  • Mitsui Car Shares: always report scratches palm-sized or larger (smaller or already-reported marks aren't required, but report noticeable ones). For report photos it lists three types: the whole car with the plate visible, the area around the scratch, and a close-up, plus the type, location and size. If you find a scratch during use, call even if you don't think you caused it.
  • d Car Share: check for scratches and dents yourself before setting off. If damage you didn't report is found by the company, it falls under its criteria for contract termination or suspension.

Keep your own photos as well as reporting. The report stays on the company's side; your photos let you show, yourself, that the mark was there when you started.

Billed for damage you don't recognize?

  1. Don't sign or pay on the spot. In the NCAC case, the customer signed an undertaking over the phone and paid. Check first.
  2. Ask for the basis and a breakdown: which mark, when and where it was found, photos of it, repair estimates or invoices, and, for NOC, whether the car was actually off the road. NCAC advises asking for the basis and details before paying if you don't accept a charge.
  3. Compare with your photos. If the mark is in your pickup photos, say it was already there; if it's absent from your return photos, that supports it not being there at return.
  4. Mention that you checked the car together. Japan's Consumer Affairs Agency's "Consumer Trouble Resolution Navi" says that if you're billed after checking the car together at return, you should check the breakdown and terms, ask for the basis of the charge, and point out that you checked it together.
  5. If it isn't resolved, consult a consumer affairs center with your contract, check sheet and photos.

Where to get help

  • Consumer Hotline for Tourists: 03-5449-0906. Run by NCAC for visitors to Japan. Weekdays 10:00–12:00 and 13:00–16:00, in English, Chinese, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese, French and Japanese. It handles consumer disputes with businesses (not the accident itself); call charges apply.
  • Consumer hotline 188: connects residents to their local consumer affairs center (in Japanese).
  • Houterasu Multilingual Information Service: 0570-078377 (weekdays 9:00–17:00, English and nine other languages): free information on the legal system and where to consult; call charges apply.

What PEA can and can't do

PEA (Professional Evidence Authenticator), from Lumina Spark in Japan, checks an image for signs of AI generation or editing with several independent analyses and shows a grade from 1 to 10. It doesn't decide when or by whom a scratch was made, or whether a charge is fair.

Start with the free steps: photos at pickup and return, original files kept, checks done with the staff.

  • Fix your pickup and return photos in a form others can verify. When you run a check, PEA records the file's SHA-256 hash and seals it with an Ed25519 digital signature and an RFC 3161 timestamp from a third-party authority. The timestamp is the time of the check, so checking right after you return the car gives you material to show the photo existed by return day.
  • Turn it into a certificate within 7 days. Free results are deleted after 7 days. A certificate costs ¥1,000 per image, charged in yen (international cards accepted); anyone you show it to can check the issue time, file hash and timestamp by certificate number on PEA's public verification page.
  • Pick one or a few photos, such as the whole car with the plate and close-ups of spots likely to be questioned.
  • Photos only (JPEG, PNG, HEIC, up to 25 MB); keep walk-around videos as original files.

PEA can't prove when or by whom a photo was taken, that the pictured car is the one you rented, or when and by whom a mark was made. It shows that the file existed at the time of the check and hasn't changed since, plus the analysis results. The timestamp is not one accredited by Japan's Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications, and we can't promise how a rental company or consumer center will weigh it. Use it with the check sheet, your contract and photos showing the plate. The account and certificate screens are in Japanese; browser translation works on them.

This article is general information about Japan, not legal advice.

Frequently asked questions

Should I photograph scratches when I rent a car in Japan?

Yes. Japan's National Consumer Affairs Center says photos at return are useful as well as before use. Photograph the whole car with the plate visible, each panel, close-ups of existing marks, the interior and the dashboard readings. Check the car with the staff and have unlisted marks added to the check sheet. Ask the staff before taking photos at the store.

I was billed for damage I don't recognize after returning the car. Do I have to pay?

Don't sign or pay on the spot. Ask which mark was found, when, and for photos and repair details. Compare with your pickup and return photos, and say so if the mark was already there or wasn't there at return. Mention that you checked the car together at return. If it isn't resolved, contact a consumer center with your contract, check sheet and photos; visitors can call the Consumer Hotline for Tourists (03-5449-0906).

What is NOC, and how much is it?

NOC (non-operation charge) is your share of the company's lost business while the car is being repaired or cleaned. At major companies it's usually ¥20,000 if the car can be driven back to the agreed store and ¥50,000 if not, and some companies vary it by car class. It's charged separately from the collision damage waiver, and add-on plans can waive it.

Do I need to report a small scratch to the police?

Yes. Japan's Road Traffic Act Article 72 requires drivers to report accidents to the police, including accidents that only damage property. Rental companies treat any damage as an accident and say that if you return the car without reporting to the police and the company, insurance and coverage won't apply. Without a police report, you also can't get a traffic accident certificate.

What if a car share car is already damaged when I get in?

Report it before you start, using the company's method: Times Car uses the in-use survey and a form (call for damage that affects driving), and Mitsui Car Shares asks for reports of palm-sized or larger scratches with three photos (the whole car with the plate, the area around the scratch, and a close-up). Keep your own photos too.

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