Also, a thought. I would argue that Kei cars aren't subsidized, it's just that Japan refuses to subsidize big cars like America does. Large cars take up more space in car parks, take up more space on the road, and do more damage to roads. It's actually quite reasonable to tax them less.
Which they do because of limited space in their urban areas.
For what it’s worth, Japan was far from the only country to introduce miniature cars after the war to reduce resource usage. Italy, England, France and arguably Germany all introduced subcompact vehicles designed to use less precious steel. America is one of the few nations that kept making full sized sedans, largely a consequence of fighting the entire war abroad rather than at home.
What’s interesting is that Japan still uses theirs, while the other countries on that list abandoned their trend of super micros decades ago. I personally would argue that this is a consequence of Japan’s limited space, which drove government policy to effective tax vehicles in proportion to how much precious space they use.
It's a shame. I have zero use for a full-size car, and I would much prefer a two-seater with plenty of legroom plus economy and maneuverability, but you can't get them here for any reasonable price.
