Japanese Car VINs: Decoding Toyota, Honda, Nissan, and Subaru VINs

Long Pattern Editorial

Japanese automakers use J-prefix WMI codes for Japan-assembled vehicles and domestic codes for their US plants. Here is the full reference for the major brands.

Japan is one of the world's largest vehicle exporters, and its automakers — Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Subaru, Mazda, Mitsubishi — all maintain substantial US market presence. Japanese-assembled vehicles carry WMI codes beginning with J (the ISO country code for Japan), while US-assembled models from these brands carry US WMI prefixes.

Nissan WMI Codes

  • JN1 — Nissan passenger cars, Japan
  • JN8 — Nissan SUVs, Japan
  • 1N4 — Nissan passenger cars, United States (Smyrna, TN)
  • 5N1 — Nissan trucks and SUVs, United States

Subaru WMI Codes

  • JF1 — Subaru passenger cars, Japan
  • 4S3 — Subaru passenger cars, United States (Lafayette, IN)
  • 4S4 — Subaru SUVs, United States

Mazda WMI Codes

  • JM1 — Mazda passenger cars, Japan
  • JM3 — Mazda SUVs, Japan

Mitsubishi WMI Codes

  • JA4 — Mitsubishi SUVs, Japan
  • JA3 — Mitsubishi passenger cars, Japan

US Plants for Japanese Brands

Several Japanese brands operate US plants that produce high-volume models for North America:

  • Nissan Smyrna, TN — Altima, Rogue, Leaf
  • Toyota Georgetown, KY — Camry, RAV4
  • Honda Marysville, OH — Accord
  • Subaru Lafayette, IN — Outback, Legacy, Ascent, Impreza

Browse US-assembled vehicles or Japan-assembled vehicles on our country pages.