Should I ship my car to Japan? Fees?

Hey there!
I am thinking about shipping my car with me to japan. I am in the military so I know that the shipment of the car will be free. As for my car, It's a 2005 Volkswagen Jetta GLI that I have had for about a year now. I can't seem to find any FIRM information on how much it will cost me to own this vehicle in Yokosuka. I do not plan on driving that much, only on and around the NAVY base. I hear everyone mention the cost for the emissions inspection (Shaken), but aren't cars that are from America very efficient when it comes to the emissions? I don't quite understand the fee... I also called my insurance provider about insurance rates, however they had no clue on what the prices are over there. Do I have to have both Japanese AND American insurance? Also what other fees should I be looking to spend in the event that I ship my car?

Any help would be greatly appreciated everyone! If I do not ship my car, I'll just sell it before I go and pick up a scooter or something in Japan.

Out of curiosity, I did a bit of googling...
http://www.japan-partner.com/car-shipping-cost.php

If this is to believed you'd be up for US$ 2650 to get a car from Nagoya to LA. (They send cars from Japan to other countries). I assume it would be a similar cost in reverse.

And you know that they drive on the other side of the road in Japan from the USA.

Lots of info about getting cars OUT of Japan and into America. Not so much on the reverse journey.

Nah, you're not authorized to ship your car to Japan, unless you pay for it yourself, and then I don't know if you can get it registered on base. The exception is a vehicle made before 1976, don't ask me why.
You can ship a motorcycle, and you can probably find out more info on all of this either online or at the base where you are stationed now.

There are many many used cars for sale on any of the military bases....you buy one, use it for your tour, then sell it or junk it. Insurance & all that will be explained when you get there.

I stand corrected! There are times when you can ship a vehicle. What I can find out for sure is that Japan prohibits the import of vehicles made in the U.S. after 1976.
Probably why you are having such a hard time getting info is that hardly anybody does this. Cars made to be driven in the U.S. have the steering wheel on the 'other' side, so it's a bit harder to adjust to driving. It's also nice to be driving around in a 'beater' for that first period of getting used to driving.
Under the www.smartwebmove.navsup.navy.mil/ website - somewhere - there is a list of forms you need to import a POV to Japan. You can even download the forms.
As for costs & procedures, try:www.cfay.navy.mil/security/vro.htm
Much of the cost of having a vehicle depends on the engine size. The larger the engine, the more expensive the yearly road tax and bi-annual inspection/weight tax.

I had my car shipped from California to Japan. It's a Cobra and a blast to drive around. I'm not in the military though. I did it on my own through a private company. It cost about 7000 including shipping, taxes, and shakin for three years.

To answer the questions about emissions- Japan has far tighter emissions controls than the US, which is apparently actually quite lax. A relatively new vehicle should be all right though.

Emissiona may be the least of ones problems. It's the inspection that can cost you. I had to modify my rear lights pass Japanese standards.

So I have read many posts on this site. I am looking at taking orders to Yokosuka. I have a Mazda 2007 CX-9 that I love to death and want to ship it to Yoko on the Navy' dime. I know it is a large vehicle, as I have lived in Europe before, but question is can I ship it to Yoko? It is way older than 76', but it is a Japanese car.

I got my car shiped from US to Japan. I got it done by a RamaDBK - Japanese Car exporter.
Contact them and they will give you all the details on how to do it. You can get them to arrange the shipping for you. http://www.ramadbk.com

I was just wondering how much it cost to ship a vehicle. I'm in the military but plan on staying here after I get out; so maybe it's worth it to bring it with me.