On the Dash:
- Toyota may begin exporting U.S.-made vehicles to Japan to help address the trade deficit.
- The plan could be announced during a meeting with President Trump and Japanese business leaders.
- Japan is reviewing auto regulations to allow the sale of U.S.-built vehicles, pending further testing.
Toyota Motor may announce plans to begin exporting vehicles manufactured within the United States to Japan, public broadcaster NHK said on Saturday.
Sources familiar with the matter told NHK that Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda is expected to reveal the plan during a scheduled meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump and Japan’s top business leaders. President Trump is expected to arrive in Japan on Monday, Oct. 27, and will stay for three days.
A Toyota spokesperson told Reuters that NHK’s report was not based on an official company announcement. However, last Wednesday, Toyota President Sato Koji told reporters that the automaker is considering shipping U.S.-manufactured vehicles back to Japan.
Toyota’s plan aims to export vehicles built within the United States to Japan, aligning with the country’s efforts to address its trade deficit with Washington. The Japanese government is reviewing its automobile safety regulations to permit the sale of U.S.-built vehicles in Japan without further regulatory testing—an issue Washington has identified as a non-tariff barrier that is deterring U.S.-built cars from entering the Japanese market.
