I need to go to Iwakuni City Hall to get temporary plates for a car I bought at auction. Does anyone know where city hall is, and which office I go to for temporary plates?  Thanks!

I've looked for information, but wasnt able to find anything bout Iwakuni to register a vehicle.. Hope you get the process and can get the car registered quickly.

How is your car doing? I know you drove it from Yokosuka..

I received a very complete answer from an Iwakuni Facebook forum which I'll repost here. The car is doing great though it makes a funny noise when in motion. We drove up to the Sanno today and it's tucked away in their garage. We had to do some fast talking to get past the Sanno guards with Japanese temp plates, but they finally let us in. Having the Yokosuka one-day pass helped even though the pass had expired.

We head for points south on Tuesday where I'll reregister the car with Yamaguchi plates. I think I know what I need to do.

Here's the answer to my question:

Go off base, make a right at Four Corners, go down 188 towards Fuji Grand. When you get to the intersection (4 way) where Fuji Grand is on your right, make a left there. You'll go through one stoplight and around a corner, and City Hall will be on your left. Park in front of the building in the lot. The building is large, lots of glass and very modern looking. Directly across the street from the large Police Dept. Walk in the first floor to the reception area and tell them you need plates for your car. Most of the staff speaks basic English. After you get the plates, you'll have to get JCI before you can get the car registered on Base. You need to find a garage or dealership that will do JCI for you. Or you can drive to Yamaguchi yourself (hour away) to do it. Is there any kind of insurance on the car at all? You may have to have insurance FIRST before they will plate it. I know you HAVE to have JCI and secondary insurance before you can register it on Base. Also, when you go to City Hall and get a plate you will have to pay annual Road Tax/Recycling Fee. Once you get Insurance and plates, take the car and paperwork to PMO for Base registration and decal. For secondary insurance (not JCI) many people use AIU right outside the Gate. Do you have a title for the car? If not, you'll need that, too. AIU also does title work. Bring cash Yen to pay for insurances and fees. JCI can run 50,000-130,000 Yen, secondary insurance about 30,000 Yen (1 year), Road Tax up to 40,000 Yen (depending on size of car) and title work is around 5000 Yen.

I know this thread is old.

AIU is awesome. I've used them as well as the other insurance company next to TNT motors. I believe USAA insures cars in Japan also. I did the drive to Yamaguchi-shi to JCI my first car. I don't recommend anyone do that.

I don't think USAA insures cars in Japan, at least that's what they told me. Most everyone in Iwakuni uses AUI; it's right outside the gate on the right. You need both JCI (every two years) and supplemental liability (annual). JCI stays with the car when you sell it; the supplement stays with the driver; you can transfer your remaining supplemental to a new car if you sell & buy another.