Class Year
2027
Document Type
Student Research Paper
Date of Creation
Spring 2026
Department 1
East Asian Studies
Abstract
Japan’s underground car culture is often associated with street racing, JDM, and modified cars, but these visible features developed from broader economic, social, and regulatory conditions. This paper argues that Japan’s underground car culture was shaped by three factors: postwar economic growth that made mass car production feasible, social identity and status attached to car type and driving behavior, and government regulation of the road system and driving habits that forced reckless driving into less visible times and locations. By examining car ownership, kei cars, youth self-expression, gendered meanings of vehicles, road design, and moral expectations around safe driving, this paper shows that underground car culture was not simply a rebellious hobby. Instead, it developed as a social world in which enthusiasts negotiated speed, belonging, self-expression, and public judgment within the limits of economic access and regulatory control.
Copyright Note
This is the author's version of the work. This publication appears in Gettysburg College's institutional repository by permission of the copyright owner for personal use, not for redistribution.
Recommended Citation
Chen, Lizhou, "JDM and the Formation of Japan’s Underground Car Culture: Street Racing, Identity, and Regulation" (2026). Student Publications. 1196.
https://cupola.gettysburg.edu/student_scholarship/1196
Comments
Written for: AS 110 Japanese Culture & Society