JDM or Japanese Domestic Market refers to anything and everything made in Japan, exclusively for the local Japanese market.
JDM is an abbreviation for these three important words that you will have to remember while reading the rest of this article. (And the next time you’re out casually talking to your car friends about your favorite JDM cars.)
If you start to think about it, not many products fall into that category in the car world. While Japanese cars are a dime a dozen everywhere these days, not all Japan-made cars fall under the ‘true JDM’ umbrella.
The same goes for anything made by the Japanese that isn’t sold exclusively in Japan. So wheels, coilovers, springs, exhausts, and other JDM upgrades aren’t JDM unless they’re made and sold solely in domestic Japan.
These days, however, the word JDM can mean anything or everything under the (Land of the Rising) Sun, so there’s a ton of wiggle room in how you can use the term.
"It’s hard to pinpoint precisely where and when JDM culture started.
Some enthusiasts would point to the Bosozoku, while others would bring up the Honda Civic-loving Kanjozoku.
Even the infamous Yakuzas can partly be blamed for spreading the JDM culture through their unintentionally-attractive VIP lifestyle.
Nevertheless, we think everyone will agree that JDM culture blew up in the golden era of Japanese motoring – the 80s and 90s."
