4×4S.ORGTHE REGISTRY MANUFACTURER · JAPAN

Maker · Manufacturer · Japan

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries / Mitsubishi Motors

The Japanese licensee of the Willys Jeep from 1953 to 1998: the CJ-3A and CJ-3B built at Nagoya as the J3 and the J20 to J50 series for the Self-Defense Forces and civilian sale, the longest run of any CJ-3B derivative.

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1VEHICLE IN THE REGISTRY1950FOUNDED1953–1998VEHICLE YEARSActive since 1950STATUS

The count is what the registry has catalogued so far, not the maker's output; the years are those vehicles' build years. Know of another?

History

Shin Mitsubishi Heavy Industries won the 1951 National Police Reserve contract that Toyota’s BJ lost and assembled CJ-3As from kits in 1953 before building the CJ-3B under licence as the J3. Mitsubishi’s own diesels went in from 1956; the J-series ran to the J55 of 1998 with about 200,000 built, and the Self-Defense Forces’ Type 73 light truck of 1973 was a development. Mitsubishi Motors was spun off from MHI in 1970; its Pajero of 1982 succeeded the Jeep as its four-wheel drive.

Jeeps built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries / Mitsubishi Motors

1 record in this registry. Each opens its full registry page.
Mitsubishi Jeep J3 — photographMitsubishi Jeep J31953–98 · Jeep CJ-3B · Mitsubishi Jeep J3 · built

Sources & citations

Other makers

ALL VEHICLE BUILDERS →
Toyota Motor CorporationManufacturer · Japan · 64 vehiclesSantana Motor (Metalúrgica de Santa Ana)Manufacturer · Spain · 54 vehiclesAmerican Motors Corporation (Jeep Corporation)Manufacturer · United States · 46 vehiclesChrysler (Jeep), ToledoManufacturer · United States · 40 vehiclesJRA Limited (Jaguar Rover Australia)Manufacturer · Australia · 20 vehiclesKaiser Jeep CorporationManufacturer · United States · 18 vehicles

Maker record updated 2026-09-22 · status: researched