Hey – just a hypothetical question about jibaiseki hoken
( I swear this is actually hypothetical lol… i have some friends coming to visit for the winter and am trying to figure out what could be "worst case" scenario if i let them borrow a car to drive )
If, lets say I have a really low value kei car and its not insured besides the payment during shaken, and i let a visiting friend (tourist) drive it and they are at fault in a crash:
- Would jibaiseki hoken cover the property damage to the third party?
- If not, would I be on the hook for the property damage or would my tourist friend be?
- If my tourist friend decided to skip town and not pay, am i ultimately on the hook for it?
- Lets say the third party's medical expenses exceeded the limits of the insurance, then who would be on the hook for it?
- In other countries (like the US), if i was ultimately responsible for the monetary damages, i could get sued and have my house taken. Does the same logic apply here in japan?
Im questioning this because i recall 5 years ago, when i visited japan, i had a friend who was very chill and let me roadtrip his low value Kei car around and didnt seem bothered by the fact that i could get into a crash… he simply told me if i crashed it, just to pay for the value of his car (which was like 150,000 yen or something)
by saibalter
3 comments
https://www.loc.gov/item/global-legal-monitor/2019-01-03/japan-supreme-court-decides-registered-owner-of-car-responsible-for-damages-caused-by-actual-owner/
I’m no legal expert but, I would assume you are ultimately financially responsible for damages.
Forget the Jibaiseki. Your actual car insurance should cover other drivers if you want to lend out your car.
I don’t know the answers to your questions because I have supplemental car insurance and I know who and what it covers, but if you don’t 100% understand your risk when they come around, consider short-term insurance that they should be able to get at a konbini.
Â¥1000/day short-term insurance. Super easy at 7-Eleven:
https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanFinance/s/lsMcjUBsQt