Tuesday 20th April 1954

In 1954, the First All-Japan Motor Show opened at Hibiya Park in Tokyo, presided over by H.I.H. Price Takamatsu. At that time, the general public was seeking “three status symbols in Japanese society” – the electric refrigerator, washer and vacuum cleaner as most of them were not able to purchase automobiles. Getting a car was literally a “dream” for Japanese consumers. On the other hand, the industry people of the automotive sector were eager to develop the industry and build Japanese-made cars again. A total of 254 Japanese companies joined the first auto show, exhibiting a total of 267 motor vehicles, including 17 passenger cars. The majority of the exhibits were trucks and motorcycles. The 10-day event successfully attracted 547,000 visitors. Backed up by favorable latent demand, industry people believed that they could develop and market Japanese-made vehicles in the near future.