Toyota Jeep BJ

The Toyota Jeep BJ was initially produced to meet the needs of the Japanese National Police Reserve Forces. The early prototypes in 1951 were inadequate, but stimulated a series of improvements that led to delivery of the first 298 Toyota Jeep BJs in 1953. Tests proved the BJ to be superior to the Willys Jeep models of the time and the BJ was adopted by various police and civilian agencies of the Japanese government. In 1954 the Toyota Jeep BJ was renamed the "Land Cruiser" after Willys asserted their claim to the name Jeep.

1953 Toyota Jeep BJ. Photo: Courtesy of David Marsh, Copyright Toyota.