05/09/2026
"Godfather of JDM" - Daijirō Inada (稲田大二郎, “Dai” Inada) is a major figure in Japanese tuning and JDM culture.
Born in 1947, his significance comes from several interconnected projects:
OPTION magazine — Inada was a founder and editor-in-chief of Option, launched in 1981. It became hugely influential in Japanese tuning culture and helped turn modified cars into a mainstream enthusiast phenomenon.
Video Option — He helped create the video side of the Option empire, documenting tuning, street cars, racing and increasingly extreme builds. Video Option has been running since 1988.
Tokyo Auto Salon — Inada was instrumental in creating the event that evolved into today's Tokyo Auto Salon, one of the world's largest automotive modification shows.
D1 Grand Prix — He was one of the key people behind the development of professional Japanese drifting. Inada and Keiichi Tsuchiya organized an early dedicated drifting competition in 1988, and the later D1 movement helped turn drifting into an international motorsport.
Driver himself — Unlike a conventional magazine executive, Inada actually drove the extreme cars he promoted. He has competed in high-speed and drifting events and became particularly famous for pushing heavily modified Japanese machinery to its limits.
