President Donald Trump has pressured American automakers to build new plants in the U.S., and now it’s Japan’s turn to face a little prodding. In Tokyo today, the president called for Japanese automakers to build more cars in the U.S.
“Try building your cars in the United States instead of shipping them over. Is that rude to ask?” Trump said. However, as The Washington Post points out, he also said many Japanese auto industry companies have been “really doing a job” in creating U.S. jobs.
“And we love it when you build cars — if you’re a Japanese firm, we love it,” he said.
Around 75 percent of Japanese-brand vehicles sold in the U.S. are made in North America, according to Japan’s biggest auto trade association. A host of Japanese automakers, including Honda, Toyota, Nissan, and Subaru, have plants in the U.S. Looking ahead to 2021, Mazda and Toyota plan to open a new assembly plant together here in the ‘States.
Trump made the comments during a press briefing jointly held with Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. In the briefing, the leaders discussed trade relations and Trump claimed Japan has an unfair advantage in this area, reports Bloomberg. He also urged the nation to purchase military equipment from the U.S. in a move that will bring more jobs stateside and provide Japan with security against key threats.
In the press conference, Trump reportedly complained that few American cars are sold in Japan. Earlier this year, Abe brushed off this type of criticism. He said that a lack of advertising and dealerships are part of the equation.
According to reports, Trump lambasted German automakers back in May for selling millions of cars in the U.S. “The Germans are bad, very bad. See the millions of cars they are selling to the U.S. Terrible. We will stop this,” the president said to European Union leaders at the time, according to German news magazine Der Spiegel.
Source: Bloomberg, The Washington Post
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