①When a motor vehicle (excluding a special small motor vehicle) is in a condition of not conforming to the safety standards and the cause is found to be attributable to modification of the motor vehicle or a part thereof, installation or removal of equipment, or any other act similar thereto, the Director of a District Transport Bureau may order the user of that motor vehicle to carry out the maintenance necessary to make it conform to the safety standards. In this case, the Director of a District Transport Bureau may give the user of that motor vehicle instructions necessary for safety, or for pollution prevention and other conservation of the environment, such as restrictions on the method of use or route of that motor vehicle, concerning its operation until it comes to conform to the safety standards.

②When the Director of a District Transport Bureau has ordered maintenance pursuant to the preceding paragraph, the Director must affix a maintenance order mark, as prescribed by Order of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, at a conspicuous place on the front of that motor vehicle.

③No person may damage or soil the maintenance order mark affixed pursuant to the preceding paragraph, nor remove it until after the order under paragraph (1) has been revoked pursuant to paragraph (5).

④The user of a motor vehicle that has received an order under paragraph (1) must, within 15 days from the date on which the user received that order, present to the Director of a District Transport Bureau the motor vehicle on which the maintenance necessary to make it conform to the safety standards has been carried out, and the motor vehicle inspection certificate relating to that motor vehicle.

⑤When the motor vehicle relating to the presentation referred to in the preceding paragraph has come to conform to the safety standards, the Director of a District Transport Bureau must immediately revoke the order under paragraph (1).

⑥The Director of a District Transport Bureau may, by specifying a period of not more than six months, suspend the use of a motor vehicle when its user fails to comply with an order or instruction under paragraph (1) or violates paragraph (3) or paragraph (4).

⑦If the motor vehicle subject to the disposition under the preceding paragraph has not come to conform to the safety standards by the day on which the period of suspension of use of the motor vehicle under that paragraph expires, its user must not use it for operation even after the expiry of that period, until it comes to conform to the safety standards.

①To the extent necessary for the enforcement of the provisions of the preceding Article, the Director of a District Transport Bureau may have a person who has carried out modification of a motor vehicle or a part thereof, installation or removal of equipment, or any other act similar thereto, make a report concerning that person's business, or have the Director's staff members enter the offices or other places of business of that person and inspect books and documents and other articles, or question persons concerned.

②A staff member who conducts an on-site inspection pursuant to the preceding paragraph must carry an identification card showing his or her status and must present it when requested by a person concerned.

③The authority to conduct on-site inspections under paragraph (1) must not be construed as being vested for criminal investigation.

①In order to improve the maintenance of motor vehicles, the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism conducts a skills examination for motor vehicle mechanics upon application.

②The skills examination under the preceding paragraph is conducted by determining, by means of a written examination and a practical examination, whether the applicant has knowledge of and skills in the safety standards and other matters concerning the maintenance of motor vehicles.

③For a person who has completed the course of a training facility for motor vehicle mechanics designated by the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism upon application, or any other person who holds certain qualifications, all or part of the written examination or practical examination may be exempted by Order of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.

④When there has been an unfair act in connection with the examination under paragraph (2), the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism may suspend the taking of the examination by, or invalidate the passing of, a person involved in that unfair act. In this case, the Minister may, by specifying a period of not more than three years, bar that person from taking the examination under that paragraph.

⑤The types, examination subjects and application procedures of the skills examination for motor vehicle mechanics and other implementing details of the skills examination, and the implementing details of the designation of training facilities under paragraph (3), are prescribed by Order of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.

The Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism may recommend that the user of a motor vehicle comply, with respect to the motor vehicle garage used for that motor vehicle, with the technical standards prescribed by Order of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.

In order to enable a person who uses a motor vehicle or puts it into operation to readily understand the methods of carrying out inspection and maintenance of motor vehicles, the Minister of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism is to prepare and publish a guide containing the following matters:

①A person engaged in the business of manufacturing motor vehicles, or a person who has concluded a contract to purchase motor vehicles to be exported to Japan from a person engaged in the business of manufacturing such motor vehicles in a foreign country and is engaged in the business of importing those motor vehicles (hereinafter referred to as "motor vehicle manufacturer, etc."), must, as prescribed by Order of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, with respect to the motor vehicles that it manufactures to be put into operation in Japan or the motor vehicles that it imports, provide to a motor vehicle specified maintenance business operator prescribed in Article 78, paragraph (4) or the user of such a motor vehicle the technical information specific to the model of that motor vehicle, specified by Order of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, that becomes necessary when they carry out inspection and maintenance (excluding that under Article 47-2 and Article 48; the same applies in the following paragraph).

②In addition to what is provided for in the preceding paragraph, a motor vehicle manufacturer, etc. must endeavor to provide to the user of a motor vehicle, with respect to the motor vehicles that it manufactures to be put into operation in Japan or the motor vehicles that it imports, the technical information, specified by Order of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, that becomes necessary when the user of that motor vehicle carries out inspection and maintenance under Article 47.