De-Registering And Importing A Japanese Registered Car In Another Country?

[Tigzy]

Hi guys, it might seem like a stupid question but i was wondering would it be possible to buy a car at auction in Japan and drive it registered along the AH1 through numerous countries, then at the end of the journey import it to Australia but De-Register the vehicle at a Japanese consulate? Its not like im gonna do it next week but its something i really would like to do, something thats on my "bucket list" and abit of an adventure really.

For thoes who dont know what im talking about the AH1 is the Asian Highway Network 1 which goes from Tokyo to f*kuoka then continues through Busan, South Korea all the way to Kapikule, the sphincter of the universe before joining the E80(European Highway 80) all the way to Lisbon, Portugal.

There are a number of countries on the route which i would like to bypass the main ones being North Korea and Afghanistan so i was thinking driving to f*kuoka then shipping directly to Beijing and continuing from there.

Anyway the main question was would the car have to be de-registered in Japan or could i get a Carnet Du Passage(spelling?) and drive it registered then de-register at the end of the journey at a consulate then import to Australia.

Its a pretty long journey, about 20,000 klms till i reach the E80 then another 6000 odd klms along the E80 but as i sayed, its something on my "bucket list" and an adventure type thing. I might even try something simmilar to http://www.endurorally.com/pages/the-peking-to-paris-motor-challenge-2016 (although they use old cars on that site i'd be doing it with a couple of friends in something newer)

Thanks in advance for any replies.

[Iron Chef]

The short answer is it's almost impossible to register a vehicle in your name in Japan without having residency there. It might mean applying for a working holiday visa just to be able to do it. I'd personally recommend doing the reverse run and buying something in the UK, which would be a whole lot easier. But yes getting a CPD carnet is the only way to get through all the countries. Make sure you sort your visas well in advance, as many of the east European countries time your visa down to the hour - not handy when you get a flat tyre (and in eastern Europe, expect to kill all your tyres, a second set of tyres, and possibly a rim or two).

Check out the Mongol Rally if you haven't done so already. We (Iron Lady imports, that is) sponsored an Aussie guy to do it, vids are here: http://vimeo.com/mandurphy/videos/all/sort:date

[Iron Chef]

PS don't bother bringing to Australia when you're done, it will be completely f*cked...