u/Few_Store_1119

Hey everyone, looking for some advice or similar experiences regarding used vehicle scams in Japan.

I recently bought a used motorcycle from a shop. It was advertised and sold to me as having only 4,000 km on the odometer. Almost immediately after delivery, the bike started having severe mechanical issues.

I took it to an independent repair shop to get checked out. The mechanic pulled up the vehicle's history in their system and found an official record from 4 years ago showing the bike already had 40,000 km back then. The actual mileage is easily over 50,000 km now.

The mechanic told me the bike is a money pit and it's cheaper to buy a new one than to fix this one.
I have already called the Consumer Affairs Center (国民生活センター) via the 188 hotline and spoke to the Automobile Fair Trade Council (自動車公正取引協議会 - AFTC).

Both agreed this is a clear case of contract non-conformity (契約不適合責任) and odometer fraud. The AFTC advised me to demand a full contract cancellation and refund from the seller.

I am preparing to send a formal contract cancellation demand letter (内容証明郵便 - naiyo shomei yuben) demanding my money back.

Has anyone here successfully dealt with odometer fraud or gotten a full refund from a shady dealer in Japan?

If the dealer ignores my letter or refuses to pay, what are my best options?

Should I go straight to the police for fraud (詐欺罪), or look into a small claims court (少額訴訟)?Any advice on how to handle the dealer from this point on would be highly appreciated. Thanks!