Japan Automobile Research Institute (JARI) is a general incorporated foundation dedicated to automotive testing and research activities. JARI started out in 1969 as the operator of an automobile high-speed proving ground and subsequently expanded into the field of comprehensive research on automobiles. We are confident that our neutral, public-benefit activities have made more than a small contribution to the development of the automotive industry and technology in Japan.

About the beginning of the 21st century, JARI confronted significant changes in auto-related matters - such as the diversifying roles of motor vehicles, stricter environmental regulations, stiffer competition with foreign automakers, advancement of automotive technology, and increasingly important collaborations across different industries and with the academic sector.

Partly as a result of these changes, in 2003 JARI merged with the former Japan Electric Vehicle Association (drafting and promoting technical standards for electric vehicles) and the former Association of Electronic Technology for Automobile Traffic and Driving (researching methods of combining automotive and information technologies).

Consequently, making full use of the knowledge and expertise accumulated by the three organizations, JARI has expanded collaborations with a broader spectrum of industries such as the energy, electric machinery and information-telecommunication industries, and has engaged itself in pioneering research projects and in activities to promote next-generation vehicles.

JARI will continue its neutral, public-interest activities so that our society in the 21st century will reap even greater benefits from motor vehicles.