Before you go
This site offers information based on guidance from the police, rental car companies and others, as a starting point when something goes wrong on your trip (as of September 2026; it isn’t an explanation of the law). How things are handled differs by company, and it can change. If you actually have an accident, follow the instructions of the police and the guidance of the company you rented from.
You scraped the rental car’s bumper on a pillar in a parking lot.
You scuffed a wheel on the curb.
“Calling the police over a scratch this small seems like too much.”
That’s exactly when to call 110. There’s one reason.
The “accident certificate” for an accident reported to the police
An accident certificate (交通事故証明書, traffic accident certificate) is a document you get from the Japan Safe Driving Center (自動車安全運転センター) for an accident that was reported to the police.
At Nippon Rent-A-Car, you’ll need this document later, and the company can’t provide it for you. So you finish the police procedures on the spot.
For an accident that wasn’t reported to the police, insurance or coverage may not pay out (Toyota Rent a Car, Times Car Rental, Nippon Rent-A-Car, ORIX Rent a Car). Toyota Rent a Car lists not having an accident certificate as one example.
Calling 110 for a small scratch isn’t overreacting. It’s the call that keeps your coverage options open.
Even if it’s small, even in an accident with no one else involved
Rental car companies tell you to report an accident to the police even if the scratch is small. Nippon Rent-A-Car treats an accident with no other party the same way.
Even if you scraped a pillar and no one else was involved, call 110.
If someone hit your car while it was parked, report that to the police too.
If you’re not sure, report it.
From the scene, before you return the car
As soon as you notice, call the police from where you are, before you return the car.
On the phone, say that it’s an accident and what happened. They’ll ask you the rest, one question at a time (Osaka Prefectural Police).
Don’t leave the scene; wait somewhere safe until the police arrive. After that, contact the rental car company at the number on the paper you got when you rented.
Even if someone else is involved, don’t decide anything about money on the spot; talk to the rental car company. How coverage works is summed up in “Rental Car Insurance in Japan (CDW and NOC) — Three Tiers So the Booking Screen Doesn’t Stop You.”
For now, just this
Even if it’s small, even if no one else is involved: 110. From the scene, before you return the car.
※ How things are handled differs by company, and it can change.
