Trump Wants More U.S. Cars in Japan, What's Missing Are Buyers

Donald Trump and Shinzo Abe during a bilateral meeting on Sept. 26.Photographer: Nicholas Kamm/AFP via Getty Images
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In trying to improve American cars’ access to Japan, President Donald Trump may be overlooking the key obstacle: Japanese consumers don’t want them.

Of the 3.2 million vehicles sold this year in Japan, only 0.3 percent were American brands, according to data from Japan’s auto industry associations. In contrast, Japanese brands have a market share of about 40 percent in the U.S.