They play those games everywhere. My first Jimny had this laughable "back seat" that my 3 yr old couldn't even sit it. It was purely there for "road tax" reasons. I threw it away and when I went to do my biannual inspection, they said I needed the seat installed or I would have to pay for it like it was a pick up truck. I borrowed one from my buddy for the day. So stupid.
On that note, Jimnys are built to the Kei car standard in Japan which is essentially a special tax designation for mini-cars. There are certain dimensions, engine size/power restrictions, and weight restrictions. They had a version they sold there which had slightly wider axles, fender flares, and a monstrous 1.3L 4 banger which is the "big" version and not a Kei car. That's what we got in the States labeled as a Samurai.