Japanparts: Italian specialist in Asian and American vehicle parts since 1988

History

Japanparts Srl was founded in 1988 in Italy. At the time, spare parts for Japanese, Korean and American vehicles were a much smaller niche in the European aftermarket than parts for domestic European makes, and Japanparts was among the first Italian companies to recognize the growth potential in that segment. The company grew that early bet into a broader business: it expanded its own product range in 1998 with the creation of the Ashika brand, aimed at strengthening global distribution, and again in 2004 with the Japko brand, focused on further product development and market expansion. Japanparts is now one of three companies — together with Menbers S.p.A. and Cobo S.p.A. — that make up the Italian Automotive Valley group.

What they make

Japanparts specializes in aftermarket parts for vehicles manufactured in the USA, Japan and South Korea, maintaining more than 30,000 part references for each of those three origin groups — a catalogue the company says covers at least 96% of the Asian-brand vehicle population on the road. Product categories span the usual range of mechanical, electrical and chassis components needed to service these vehicles through independent workshops rather than manufacturer dealer networks.

Where they fit — OE vs aftermarket

Japanparts operates purely in the aftermarket, but its scale is a differentiator: the company reports annual turnover above €30 million, split roughly 55% domestic Italian sales and 45% international, and exports to more than 150 countries through a network of over 400 distribution partners across Europe. For buyers, that scale and the age of the business (nearly four decades focused specifically on Asian and American vehicle platforms) suggest a catalogue with genuine depth for these vehicle origins, rather than a generic add-on range. As with any multi-brand aftermarket catalogue split across Japanparts, Ashika and Japko, it's worth checking which of the three brands a specific part is actually listed under, since cross-referencing by OE part number is the most reliable way to confirm fitment.