The United States gained access to Japan‘s automotive market, President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday.
The president did not specify what this preferential access consists of, but said that it was included in a trade agreement with Japan.
Through a publication on Truth Social, Donald Trump launched a new trade announcement: the United States will impose a 15% tariff on imports from Japan. In exchange, the former president said that Japan will make an investment of 550 billion dollars in U.S. territory.
Japan’s automotive market
The United States exported automobiles to the Japanese market for a customs value of 853 million dollars in 2024.
None of the U.S. auto assembly companies have plants in Japan.
Worldwide, auto exports from the United States totaled $58.164 billion in 2024.
Meanwhile, auto imports to Japan from all countries in the same year were $11.376 billion,
. In the trade agreement, according to Trump, Japan pledged to open its market to imports of U.S.-origin cars and trucks, as well as agricultural products, including rice.
Following is the trend of U.S. auto exports to the entire world, in millions of dollars, according to data from the Department of Commerce:
- 2015: 54,494.
- 2016: 53,104.
- 2017: 52,524.
- 2018: 50,364.
- 2019: 55,200.
- 2020: 44,891.
- 2021: 53,664.
- 2022: 56,501.
- 2023: 61,646.
- 2024: 58,164.
- January-May 2024: 25,250.
- January-May 2025: 22,040.
Main destinations
U.S. Customs currently applies a 10% tariff on imports from Japan.
However, this tariff could rise to 25 % as of August 1, if no bilateral agreement is reached.
So far, Trump has not provided details. It is unclear whether Japanese auto and auto parts imports will be exempted from the 25% global tariff already applied by the United States. The uncertainty keeps the automotive industry on alert.
The following are the top destinations for U.S. auto exports in the first five months of 2025, in millions of dollars:
- Canada: 5,982.
- Germany: 2,821.
- Mexico: 1,496.
- United Arab Emirates: 1,438.
- China: 1,139.