Taxis, Shuttles and Car Seats in Japan: What the Law Says and How to Get One

You land in Japan after a long flight, the baby has finally fallen asleep in the carrier, and there are three suitcases and a stroller at your feet. A taxi looks like the obvious answer. Then the question hits: does it have a car seat, and is that even allowed?

We went through Japan’s law, the National Police Agency’s page, and the official pages of taxi, rental car, airport bus and luggage delivery companies. Here is what each of them says, how to ask for a car seat in English or Japanese, and how to make the trip from the airport a little lighter.

Does Japan require car seats for children?

Yes, for children under 6, with exemptions. Japan’s Road Traffic Act says a driver must not drive with a young child on board who is not using a child seat ^[1]. In the law, a young child (yōji, 幼児) means a child under 6 ^[1]. Note that the duty is on the driver, not the passenger ^[1].

The exemptions are listed in a Cabinet Order (the government’s detailed rules under the Act) ^[2]. The one that matters most for visitors: drivers of taxis and buses carrying a child as a passenger are exempt ^[2].

Japan's child seat rule for children under 6, by type of vehicle (checked November 2026)

Vehicle	Child seat required for under-6s?	Exemptions	Source
Private car or rental car	Yes. The driver must not drive with an under-6 who is not in a child seat	Only the reasons listed below (illness, seat structure, feeding, emergency and others)	[1] [2]
Taxi	No. The driver of a taxi carrying a child passenger is exempt	Exempt as a passenger transport business	[2]
Bus (route bus, airport limousine bus)	No. Bus drivers carrying a child passenger are exempt	Exempt as a passenger transport business	[2] [11]

The full list of exemptions in the Cabinet Order ^[2], in plain English:

1. The seat is built in a way that a child seat cannot be fixed to it. This does not apply if a child seat can be used in another seat in the car.
2. You are carrying at least as many people as there are seats other than the driver’s (within the car’s legal capacity), so there isn’t room to fix a child seat for every child. The exemption covers only as many children as there are seats that can’t be fitted.
3. A child seat is unsuitable for the child because of an injury or disability.
4. The child’s physical condition, such as severe obesity, means a child seat cannot be used properly.
5. Someone other than the driver is caring for the child, for example feeding them milk, in a way that cannot be done with the child in the seat.
6. The driver of a bus or taxi business is carrying the child as a passenger.
7. Certain paid passenger services that use private vehicles under Japan’s Road Transport Act (Article 78, items 2 and 3), except those serving only specific users.
8. The child is being rushed to a hospital or similar in an emergency.

The Act itself also excludes cases where using a child seat is unsuitable because the child is ill ^[1].

What does Japan’s National Police Agency say?

Its child seat page explains the under-6 rule. It also recommends a child seat for children 6 and older whose body size means they can’t wear an adult seat belt properly ^[3]. It reports that the fatality rate for children not using a child seat is about 5.3 times the rate for children using one properly ^[3].

The page does not discuss taxis or buses. So the exemption tells you what the driver is required to do. It doesn’t tell you whether a ride without a seat is right for your child.

Can you get a taxi with a car seat?

Sometimes, if you arrange it ahead. Don’t count on a seat in a taxi you flag down on the street or pick up at a taxi stand. Here is what the official pages we checked say:

Child seats in taxis: what official pages say (checked November 2026)

Service	Child seat?	How it works	Source
Kosodate taxi (member companies of the National Kosodate Taxi Association, various areas)	Yes, if you ask when you book	Register with the taxi company first (free). Book ahead, say you want a kosodate taxi, and ask for a child seat. Leave time, because the seat has to be fitted. Ask each company about age limits and fares	[4]
km Taxi (Kokusai Motorcars, Tokyo)	No (stated on its maternity taxi page)	On its maternity taxi page, says it does not provide child seats, including for rides home from hospital with a newborn	[5]
MK Taxi, Kyoto (metered taxis)	No	Does not lend child seats; customers who want one bring their own	[6]

Kosodate taxi (子育てタクシー, kosodate takushī, roughly “parenting taxi”) is a service run by individual taxi companies that belong to a national association. According to the association, you contact the member company you plan to use and register with it. Registration is free, and you don’t need to join the association. When you call, you ask for a kosodate taxi. Rides are basically by reservation. Whatever type of ride you book, the company will fit a child seat if you ask when you book, but give them time to prepare it ^[4]. The drivers have completed the association’s training course and help load strollers ^[4].

The association does not list fares, and it asks you to check age limits with each company ^[4]. Look up member companies in the area you’re visiting and ask them directly. Registration is a step most visitors won’t expect, so start a few days before you need the ride.

Not every taxi company has seats. On its maternity taxi page, km Taxi in Tokyo says it doesn’t provide child seats, including for rides home from hospital with a newborn, and points out that taxis are exempt from the child seat duty ^[5]. Kyoto MK Taxi says its metered taxis don’t lend child seats, and that customers who want one bring their own ^[6].

Ride-hailing apps. Don’t assume an app can send you a car with a child seat. The official Japanese service pages of GO ^[7] and Uber ^[8] that we read don’t mention child seats. If you need a seat, arrange it directly with a taxi company.

Bringing your own seat. Whether you can fit your own seat in a taxi depends on the company and the car, so ask when you book. Installing it correctly is down to you and the seat’s instructions. If you want a seat for the whole trip without packing one, we compare Japanese baby gear rental companies in our guide to renting baby gear in Japan.

How do you ask for a taxi with a car seat?

Taxi companies take bookings for a set time (km Taxi, for example, lists a reservation fee) ^[12]. Ask for a written reply if you can, and keep it.

If you’re writing to a taxi company (or asking your hotel’s front desk to call one for you), you can copy this and fill in the brackets:

Hello,

I would like to book a taxi with a child seat.

Date and time: [date], [time]
Pick-up: [hotel name and address]
Destination: [address or station/airport]
Passengers: [number] adults, [number] children
Child's age: [age in months or years]
Luggage: [number] suitcases and a stroller

Could you please confirm whether you can fit a child seat for my child's age,
and tell me the total fees (pick-up and reservation fees included)?

Thank you very much.
[Your name]

The same request in Japanese, to show the front desk or the taxi company:

チャイルドシート付きのタクシーを予約したいです。
子どもは〇歳(〇か月)です。

Chairudo shīto tsuki no takushī o yoyaku shitai desu. Kodomo wa 〇-sai (〇-kagetsu) desu. (“I’d like to book a taxi with a child seat. My child is 〇 years (〇 months) old.”)

If you’ve registered with a kosodate taxi company:

子育てタクシーで予約をお願いします。チャイルドシートを付けてください。

Kosodate takushī de yoyaku o onegai shimasu. Chairudo shīto o tsukete kudasai. (“I’d like to book a kosodate taxi. Please fit a child seat.”)

If you’re bringing your own seat:

自分のチャイルドシートを付けてもいいですか。

Jibun no chairudo shīto o tsukete mo ii desu ka? (“May I fit my own child seat?”)

Can you rent a car seat with a rental car?

Yes. Both large rental car companies we checked lend seats for a fee, and both ask you to arrange it at booking if a child under 6 will ride:

Car seats at two rental car companies (prices in yen, tax included, official pages checked November 2026)

Company	Fee per rental	Sizes listed	How to book	Source
Nippon Rent-A-Car	1,100 yen per seat	Baby mode: 40-75 cm tall, up to 15 months. Child mode: 76-105 cm, up to about age 4, max 18 kg. Junior seat: 100-150 cm, about ages 3-12	With your car booking (website or app). Required if a child under 6 rides	[9]
Toyota Rent a Car	Baby seat 1,650 yen; child seat 1,650 yen; junior seat 1,100 yen	Not stated on the options page	Website (except BUS class), reservation center or the rental office by phone. Tell them at booking if a child under 6 rides	[10]

A few details from the same pages that are easy to miss:

• Nippon Rent-A-Car says that if a child under 6 will ride and you have neither reserved a seat nor brought your own, it will refuse to rent you the car ^[9]. Its seats are ISOFIX, but depending on bookings you may get a non-ISOFIX seat ^[9]. Which seat fits which car is shown in a chart on the company’s page, so check it when you book ^[9].
• Who installs it: at Nippon Rent-A-Car, fitting the seat is the driver’s (renter’s) responsibility, and the company does not judge whether a seat you bring is suitable ^[9]. Toyota Rent a Car also says checking the installation is the renter’s responsibility ^[10].
• Older kids: Toyota Rent a Car recommends a seat even for children 6 and over until they can use the adult seat belt properly ^[10], in line with the National Police Agency’s advice ^[3].

Book the seat when you book the car, and give your child’s age, height and weight so the company can tell you which seat fits.

What about airport buses and hotel shuttles?

Plan on no car seat, and check before you go.

Airport Limousine Bus. The company that runs the Airport Limousine Bus says children under 6 who don’t have a ticket ride on a parent’s or guardian’s lap ^[11]. Passengers have been required to wear seat belts since June 1, 2008 ^[11]. Buses are exempt from the child seat duty, and the company does not provide child seats ^[11]. Fares for children, and when a young child needs a ticket, are on the company’s official site, so check there before you travel.

Hotel shuttles. Some hotels run their own shuttle to a station or airport. Whether it has a car seat, and whether you need to book a place, differs by hotel, so ask the hotel when you book your room. Our suggestion: add “a car seat for the shuttle” to the questions you send the hotel before arrival, alongside the crib and the bathtub.

Pre-booked private transfers. If you book a car from the airport through a transfer service, ask before paying whether a child seat is included, what size it is, and whether you can fit your own instead.

Airport transfersAsk whether a child seat is included before you book

SEE ON KLOOK

You could send this to a hotel or transfer company:

We are traveling with a [age]-month-old baby. Does your shuttle/car have a child seat
for this age? If not, may we fit our own? Do we need to reserve a place?

And in Japanese:

送迎の車にチャイルドシートはありますか。ない場合、自分のものを付けてもいいですか。

Sōgei no kuruma ni chairudo shīto wa arimasu ka? Nai baai, jibun no mono o tsukete mo ii desu ka? (“Does the shuttle have a child seat? If not, may we fit our own?”)

Is a taxi worth it for short trips with luggage?

Often, yes. Even a ten-minute walk from the station can be hard once you add rain, a toddler who won’t walk and a suitcase. A short ride can save a lot of energy at the end of a travel day.

To give you a sense of the cost, km Taxi lists these fares on its official page ^[12]:

km Taxi fares (official page, checked November 2026)

Item	Fare	Source
First 1 km	500 yen	[12]
After that	100 yen per 232 m	[12]
Slow traffic (10 km/h or slower)	100 yen per 85 seconds	[12]
Pick-up fee (when you call a taxi to you)	500 yen	[12]
Reservation fee (booking for a set time)	500 yen, on top of the pick-up fee	[12]
Late night (22:00-5:00)	20% extra	[12]

So at km Taxi, booking a car to your hotel for a set time adds 1,000 yen (pick-up plus reservation) to the meter ^[12]. Fares differ by company and region, so check the company you plan to use.

The car seat question still applies to short rides. If you’d rather not ride without a seat, plan these trips with a kosodate taxi or a walk, and decide that before you’re standing in the rain.

A quick checklist before you travel

• Decide what you want for car rides. Read your home country’s guidance on car seats and lap riding, and talk to your pediatrician if you’re unsure. Japan’s taxi and bus exemption is about the driver’s legal duty, not about safety.
• Taxis: If you want a seat, find a kosodate taxi company in the area and register a few days ahead. Book for a set time and ask for a child seat at booking.
• Your own seat: If you bring one, ask each taxi, shuttle or transfer company whether you can fit it.
• Rental cars: Reserve the seat with the car, and give your child’s age, height and weight.
• Airport bus: No child seats; under-6s without a ticket ride on your lap. Check child fares on the operator’s official site.
• Hotel shuttle: Ask the hotel about car seats and booking when you reserve the room.
• Luggage: Consider sending suitcases ahead so the transfer days are lighter.

Questions parents ask

Do taxis in Japan have car seats?

Usually not unless you arrange it. Taxis are exempt from Japan's child seat rule, and some companies say they don't provide seats (Kyoto MK Taxi for its metered taxis, and km Taxi in Tokyo on its maternity taxi page). Kosodate taxi services fit a seat if you ask when you book and have registered with the company first.

Is it legal to hold my baby on my lap in a taxi in Japan?

Japan's law exempts taxi and bus drivers carrying a child passenger from the child seat duty. Whether that is safe for your child is a separate question: check your home country's guidance and talk to your pediatrician.

Can I bring my own car seat?

For rental cars, yes, but installing it is your responsibility, and Nippon Rent-A-Car says it does not judge whether a seat you bring fits. MK Taxi in Kyoto says customers who want a seat bring their own. Other taxi companies differ, so ask when you book.

Do hotel shuttles and airport buses have car seats?

The Airport Limousine Bus company says it does not provide child seats, and children under 6 without a ticket ride on a parent's lap. For hotel shuttles, ask the hotel before you arrive.