In the Japanese market, the Accord was merged into the Torneo range to compete against the Mazda Atenza and Subaru Legacy.

A variant of the larger North American Accord was sold in Japan as the Honda Inspire to compete in the entry-level luxury sedan class.

It included a 1,998 cc (2.0 L; 121.9 cu in) high performance K20A engine rated at 220 PS (162 kW; 217 hp) at 8000 rpm and 206 N⋅m (152 lb⋅ft) at 6000 rpm, 6-speed manual transmission, locked slip differential, lightweight flywheel, bodykit, Recaro seats, Momo steering wheel, HID headlights, "Type-R" red instrument cluster, aluminium pedals and 17-inch aluminium wheels with 215/45R17 tires.

[8] The Accord Euro R was officially sold only in Japan, but has been parallel imported to New Zealand, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Pakistan and Macau.

Note the Chassis Code (CL7) is shared with the base model Accord in Japan, using a different Eco version of the 2.0 engine rated at 155 PS (114 kW; 153 hp), offered in auto transmission only along with none of the other performance and visual enhancements.