Japan is a country in Eastern Asia. The country uses the CERO rating system to rate all Grand Theft Auto releases, with so far all of the series being rated Z (18+). Japan received Grand Theft Auto releases at a much later time, as it has taken a long time for Rockstar Games to localize them, which is done by Rockstar Japan. The GTA games are published in Japan mainly by Capcom which had released the following games:
- Grand Theft Auto 1 (August 27, 1998)
- Grand Theft Auto 2 (March 30, 2001)
- Grand Theft Auto III (September 25, 2003)
- Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (May 20, 2004)
- Grand Theft Auto Double Pack (July 29, 2004 Xbox version, February 27, 2007 PS2 version)
- Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (January 25, 2007)
- Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories (July 26, 2007 PSP version, September 6, 2007 PS2 version)
- Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories (December 6, 2007)
- Grand Theft Auto IV (October 30, 2008)
- Grand Theft Auto V (October 10, 2013)
CyberFront has released recent GTA games:
- Grand Theft Auto IV (March 20, 2009)
- Grand Theft Auto: Chinatown Wars (September 24, 2009)
Game World
2D Universe
- The Yakuza, a real-life criminal organization based in Japan, is featured in Grand Theft Auto 1 and Grand Theft Auto 2.
- GTA 2 introduces the Zaibatsu Corporation, a mega-corporation and criminal organization named after the Japanese term for a type of business. Although it is later revealed in Grand Theft Auto III that Zaibatsu was founded in Liberty City (located in the United States of America), the organization's name still implies strong ties to Japan.
- In GTA 2, the host of Funami FM is a Japanese woman named Teriyaki-chan.
- Funabashi in GTA 2 is named for a real city in Chiba Prefecture.
3D Universe
- The Yakuza also appears in GTA III, Grand Theft Auto Advance and GTA Liberty City Stories. Its members Asuka Kasen, Kenji Kasen, Kazuki Kasen and his wife Toshiko Kasen, and Asuka's niece Yuka are all of Japanese origin.
- The country capital, Tokyo, is mentioned in the Liberty Tree article Yakuza Operating With Impunity. It is also the setting for the push up contest in Push-Up - The Movie, which the movie's trailer incorrectly claiming it is in China.
- The Kuruma is a Japanese car, since it has some visual cues from Japanese sedans and 'kuruma' (くるま or 車) means 'car' in Japanese.
- Many other cars in the 3D Universe are also inspired by Japanese cars, however, the Kuruma is the only one with a Japanese name.
- There are also many Japanese manufacturers in the 3D Universe, such as Kakagawa appliances and the Maibatsu vehicles (Based on Mitsubishi).
- The game Space Monkey and its sequel Space Monkey 7 were originated in Japan, according to radio advertisement.
- Middle-aged Japanese tourists can be found around Ocean Beach and Washington Beach.
- Sushi Man is a Japanese sushi shop that appears in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.
- Some pedestrians communicate in Japanese in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.
- The Katana (かたな or 刀) is a Japanese weapon, which literally means 'sword'.
HD Universe
- Several automotive manufacturers are Japanese:
- The Warrener, while manufactured by the Swedish car manufacturer Vulcar, bears its overall, Japanese style to it, specifically the 1969 Nissan Skyline C10.
- The car manufacturer Nagasaki is the name of a Japanese prefecture, containing its capital city of the same name, which was hit by a nuclear bomb on August 9, 1945.
- A.M. Beer is a brand of Japanese beer (Based on Asahi Beer).
- Noel Katsuda and Shon Kikuchi are of Japanese origin.
- The TV shows Princess Robot Bubblegum and Full Robo Hickey Hurry Mech Battlesuit are parodies of Japanese animes.
- The Uptown Riders, based on the real life Ruff Ryders, mostly ride Japanese bikes.
- The Elegy RH8 is metaphorically described as having been "born in the fires of Mt. Fuji".
- Mark Fostenburg's golf clubs are made in Japan.
- Nutsaki is a Japanese-like restaurant.
- Gozushi is also a Japanese restaurant, named for one of Japan's most famous film series, Godzilla.
- The San Andreas Flight School Update added a Japan flag Chute Bag in GTA V.
- The Japan liveries is one of the liveries on the Cheval Marshall.
- There is also a Japanese flag available on the roof of the Dukes.
- During Chakra Attack, Ray De Angelo Harris talks about his koi fish and hibachi.
Censorship
Despite the series being rated CERO Z/18+, Grand Theft Auto faces censorship for two of its games when it is localized for the Japanese market due to the rating system restricting certain forms of violence or sexual content in console-released games.
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City:
- The Japanese version of the game no longer the player to blow off heads nor do blood droplets appear when you are killing someone with a chainsaw or blood splats when launching explosives towards people.
- Ken Rosenberg is not seen snorting cocaine when talking with Tommy Vercetti in both No Escape? and The Shootist missions in the Japanese version.
- The mission Martha's Mug Shot and G-Spotlight in which Steve Scott is shooting a pornographic movie with Candy Suxx that has shots of her moaning while doing stimulated sex are censored with the moans muted and the camera angles discretly placed away from the sex.
- The spotlight that promotes Candy Suxx by showing her breasts and nipples is replaced instead with simply the actress' name.
- The naked photos of Candy Suxx in Ricardo Diaz's mansion are replaced instead with kittens instead.
Grand Theft Auto V:
- The scene in which Trevor Philips pulls down his pants to show his penis and butt is removed from the Japanese release and thus the same animation and dialogue stays without the aforementioned act in question.
- The sex scene between Trevor and Ashley Butler is cut and instead shows them watching the news report of the jewelry robbery.
- The mission Paparazzo - The Sex Tape in which Poppy Mitchell has anal sex with Justin is altered and instead has you recording them smoking.
- The controversial By the Book mission where Trevor is interrogating a Azerbaijani man named Ferdinand Kerimov is skipped entirely and fades to black until after the torture is completing.
