There are so many things that are universal across the world. Things like technology are a constant the world over. Millions and millions of people have smartphones, tablets, and computers. The auto industry is another thing that people all over the world have in common. There are cars on all continents and no matter where in the world you are referring to, they are used for the same things. People use them to run their errands, go to work, and go on road trips. Despite this worldly use of cars, the auto industry of a given country is going to be very different from the auto industry in another.

One of the major auto industry hubs of the world is Japan. They have a booming industry and it is an industry all its' own. Many people in the industry refer to Japan's cars and its' industry as JDM. JDM stands for Japanese Domestic Market. According to CorSportUSA.com, JDM refers to the cars, parts, and industry as it relates to Japan. JDM cars and parts are made to suit the emissions, performance, and market characteristics of Japan. The Japanese domestic market is an interesting one.

There are a lot of things that most people have no idea about when it comes to the Japanese domestic market and how it is different from the rest of the world. They may have an idea, but there is a lot that they probably don't know. Here are 25 facts about the Japanese domestic market and its' cars that most people don't know.

25 The Hakosuka

The Hakosuka is the nickname earned by the Nissan C10 Skyline. This is a car that is extremely famous in the circles of JDM enthusiasts and throughout Japan. The word Hakosuka is derived from hako, which means boxy, and suka, which is an abbreviation for the word skyline in Japanese, as described in an article by DriveTribe.com.

In comparison, it is the equivalent to a Corvette or Mustang in the United States.

It is one of those cars that people count down the months for the 25 years to pass so they can get one into the States.

24 Kei Cars

This is an interesting class of cars in Japan. Kei cars are also referred to as K-cars, which are both short for keijidosha (meaning a light motor vehicle). These cars are characterized by their minuscule size and motors no bigger than 660 ccs.

This class of cars includes cars, trucks, off-road vehicles and vans.

These cars are really handy to have when it comes to the lack of parking spaces and the crowded streets throughout the country of Japan. (DriveTribe.com) Just like with every other car, there is also a lot of customizing that can be done to these JDMs.

23 Sonic Turbo Exhaust

CarsTodayMag.com shed some light on the origins of these exhaust systems. In the 1980s, car customizers would go to a welder to have them build a full custom exhaust for their cars that were finished off with an oval-shaped muffler.

These were the earliest forms of sonic turbo exhaust systems, but the Japanese would soon improve this for car lovers.

JDM part manufacturers were the first one to make bolt-on exhaust kits of this style. These were the kits that people were using because of their rumbling sound if they had the money for it. The JDM parts makers made them affordable and easier to install allowing more people to put them on their cars.

22 Veilside Body Kits

Anyone who has ever watched the 'Fast and the Furious' movies has seen a Veilside sticker on the side of the cars. Veilside was the first JDM body kit company who made their JDM body kits available, in 1985, for United States buyers (CarsTodayMag.com).

These body kits became a way for Japanese car culture fanatics to get a piece of their passion onto their car.

Veilside became most popular in the early 1990's and was most popular on Toyota Supras and Mazda RX7s. A Veilside body kit was a way for people to make their cars stand out when they are parked next to all the rest.

21 No Vehicle Identification Number

Vehicle identification numbers (VIN) are the way that we identify individual vehicles in the United States. It is the number that is comparable to a person's name. The vehicles in the Japanese domestic market vehicles use what is referred to as a chassis (frame) number. "For example, Chassis (Frame) Number SV30-0169266 breaks down as "V30" identifying the model as Toyota Camry/Vista x30; "S" identifying the engine (4S-FE), and "0169266" being the serial number of the vehicle." (CarVX.jp). This is how they identify each individual car according to the documents related to that vehicle. In the JDM culture, these numbers are not only not necessary but have become part of the popular culture of the JDM to exclude from the car's chassis.

20 Jobs

StepFirst.co discusses some interesting statistics that pertain to the auto industry and its' importance to the people of Japan. Automotive manufacturing and the industries related to it provide jobs for more than 5 and a half million people throughout Japan.

This number ends up translating into a little more than 8% of the population of the entire country.

There are also almost 80 factories across Japan. This is an important industry for the success of the economy and for the people who are employed by it. A reduction in this industry could mean a lot of trouble for a lot of people and their families.

19 Safety Testing

This is a major difference between JDM cars and American cars. In the United States, the automakers test their own vehicles and they certify that they meet the federal requirements and the government signs off on that. In Japan, it is a very different process.

The Japanese government is the one that does the testing to make sure that the automakers are maintaining a minimum requirement.

They are sticklers about their safety testing and they are not going to leave it up to the automakers. This is also one, of a few reasons, why American cars are so few and far between throughout the country of Japan.

18 The Honda Accord Was The 1st

In 1988, the Accord Coupe became the first Honda of America Manufacturing-made vehicle that was built under JDM specifications and exported to Japan. The Honda Accord was first introduced to the world in 1976 and it would be a big part of Japan's expansion into foreign markets. In the early 1980's, Honda established the Honda of America Manufacturing (HAM) in southern California in keeping with their new philosophy to produce cars where they would be sold. In November of 1982, according to World.Honda.com, the Honda Accord was the first Honda produced in the United States.

17 The 25 Year Rule

Since car enthusiasts first became fans of JDM cars, their styling, and performance, they have wanted to be able to get their hands on them.

There was always one thing that stood in their way from being able to do that and it is known as the '25 Year Rule.'

As explained by ARSTechnica.com, this rule is that if a JDM car (like the famous Nissan Skyline) was not built for U.S. sales, it could not be imported until it reached 25 years old (to the month). For example, the R34 Skyline GT-R was first built in 1999 and cannot be imported until 2024.

16 1st Production Hydrogen Fuel Cell

Automakers the world over are on a search for alternative fuels and it is something that is becoming a staple in their model lines in showrooms everywhere. One of the fuel sources that is being tapped into is the use of hydrogen fuel cells. This is something else that we can thank the Japanese domestic market for. Blog.BeForward.jp credits the Mazda RX-8 Hydrogen RE as the first hydrogen combustion vehicle, but Toyota has done one better. The Toyota Mirai will be the first full production hydrogen fuel cell vehicle. It will be made available in Japan and California first.

15 The Best Sellers In 2018

It is so interesting to look and see the way that people live in other areas of the world. It is fun to look at the types of food they eat, the most popular shows on television, and the most popular cars.

There were just over 2.7 million cars sold in the first 6 months of 2018.

In the first half of 2018, according to Best-Selling-Cars.com, there are 6 Toyotas, 2 Nissans, a Honda, and a Freed in the top 10. The top 3 best sellers on the Japanese domestic market are the Nissan Note, Toyota Aqua, and Toyota Prius.

14 Older Cars Are More Expensive To Drive

This is something that sounds crazy to U.S drivers and owners of classic or vintage cars. These types of cars, in the United States, are cheaper to drive, fix, and insure. This couldn't be further from the truth in Japan. CarFromJapan.com reports that drivers who drive cars 13 years or older are charged an extra 10% a year. This may be one of the reasons why Japan doesn't mind exporting their older JDM cars out of the country after 25 years. There is a chance that a large majority of them are not going to be driven anyway.

13 1st Production Hybrid Electric

It has become so commonplace for every car maker, the world over, to have various hybrid models available for their customers. These cars are a reflection of our environmental awareness and our desire to reduce our carbon footprint. This had to start somewhere, and it started in Japan. The first production hybrid electric was the 1997 Toyota Prius, according to CarsTodayMag.com. Now there are hybrids available in any class you could imagine. Japan has always been a technologically advanced country and this is one of the ways that JDM cars have led the way.

12 Green and Yellow Stickers

DriveTribe.com discusses how there are two very different meanings to this sticker, depending on what continent you are on. If a car in the United States has this sticker it is because they are an enthusiast and lover of Japanese car culture. This sticker has a very different meaning in Japan. If this sticker is on a car there, it is meant to communicate to other drivers that the person driving that vehicle is a new driver. It is a way for them to know that they just got their license and probably aren't that great of a driver yet.

11 They Don't Care For A Car When It Gets Too Old

This is another one of those things that are difficult for people in the United States to understand. It is a societal thing and it is based on a difference in the way that we see things. PacificCoastJDM.com reveals some very interesting information concerning this fact.

People in Japan feel that a car that is around 5 years old is too old and because it doesn't have the value that it did, they want to replace it.

This is also true in Japanese culture with things like homes that get to be 30 or 35 years old, they tear them down and build new ones.

10 Many Different Manufacturers (Some You Have Never Heard Of)

For being a small country, in regards to the physical size, there are a number of different Japanese vehicle manufacturers. Many of these manufacturers, you have heard of including Toyota, Nissan, Honda, Mazda, Subaru, and Mitsubishi. There are also some that you haven't heard of like Daihatsu and Mitsuoka. Then there are a couple that you have heard of, but not in the capacity of producing cars like Yamaha and Kawasaki. Many of these manufacturers have also diversified themselves and they also produce things like construction vehicles, all-terrain vehicles, tools, and engines.

9 One of the Leading Auto Makers

The Japanese auto industry is a major player, in numbers, across the world. Investopedia.com lists them as the third largest vehicle producer in the world, behind China and the European Union. The United States is the fourth largest producer followed by, surprisingly, India. China, amazingly, produced more than 23 million passenger cars in 2017, which is 29% of the passenger cars produced around the world. In the past, there were times when Japan was on top of the list. In 2017, Japan produced a little more than 8.2 million vehicles, which is up more than 5.5% from 2016.

8 Turbo Kits

One of the things that people love to play with is the amount of power they can get under the hood. Much of this is done through aftermarket parts. One of the most popular upgrades for people to do is to add a turbo kit. Different aftermarket parts producers all over the world make them for a wide variety of different cars. They all have the JDM to thank for this.  CarsTodayMag.com sites that the first kit was a JDM kit released in Japan. Hiroyuki Hasegawa is given the credit for designing and building the first ever turbocharger in 1974 and in 1985 they were available in kits for customization.

7 Type H Damper Suspension

This was a suspension system that was centered around the coil over. It was made for the sport compact cars that really needed some help in the handling department. It was not a Japanese company who designed the coil overs, but it was a Japanese company who were able to make them available for these cars and at a reasonable price. The type H damper suspension utilized a full body coil over for their system and it made those needy sport compact cars take those corners like a champion. (CarsTodayMag.com)

6 The Influence of Gran Turismo

As Japan has been instrumental in the auto industry, so is this true in the world of video games. One of the games that is proof of this is 'Gran Turismo.' It is a video game that has incorporated realistic driving conditions and has gone so far as including realistic physics as well. The JDM has also created actual cars to unite the video game world and what is real. Blog.BeForward.jp lists a couple of concept cars that are referred to as 'Vision Gran Turismo' concept cars, the Mazda LM55, and the Lexus LF-LC GT. These cars give 'Gran Turismo' fans a way to drive real-life video game cars.