Japan Considers Relaxation of Vehicle Certification System to Allow More U.S.-Made Vehicles

By Kazuki Koike and Shotaro Koga / YomiuriShimbun Staff Writers

13:23 JST, December 1, 2025

At October’s Japan-U.S. summit that took place at the State Guest House in the Moto-Akasaka district of Tokyo, American-made pickup trucks that were parked in the garden attracted attention. U.S. President Donald Trump is hoping to increase the sales of these vehicles in Japan.

As part of tariff measures agreed between the two countries in the summer, simplified procedures were introduced for importing and selling U.S. vehicles in the Japanese marketplace, and the Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism Ministry is considering relaxing the automobile certification system based on U.N. standards.

“If additional testing required to sell U.S. cars in Japan is eliminated, prices could be significantly reduced. Is that really possible?” said Shuhei Murakami, the president of Skyauto Inc., a company importing and selling U.S. cars in Koshigaya, Saitama Prefecture. He is monitoring the situation with a mixture of hope and anxiety.

Until the mid-1990s, more than 100,000 U.S. cars were imported and sold in Japan annually. Their popularity saw a gradual decline as Japanese consumers shunned the vehicles due to their large bodies and poor fuel efficiency. Only about 16,000 U.S. cars were imported in 2024. Meanwhile, according to trade statistics from the Finance Ministry, exports of Japanese cars to the United States in 2024 totaled approximately 1.37 million units.

To make it easier for cars to be sold internationally, countries and regions that adopt standards set by the United Nations can sell them without the need of further testing. These are international safety and environmental standards for vehicle certification that were established through deliberations by national regulatory authorities and industry organizations. For passenger cars, items such as brakes and noise are covered by the standards, which have been adopted by about 60 countries and regions, including Japan.

However, the United States has not adopted these standards, so cars sold for the U.S. market are required to undergo additional testing when exported to Japan to ensure they comply with safety standards and other requirements. In contrast, the U.S. focuses on approvals after the point of sale instead of before, so cars imported to the U.S. can be sold as long as manufacturers provide “self-certification.”

It is against this backdrop that Trump calls the current system a “non-tariff barrier” and has said he believes it is unfair that Japan doesn’t accept U.S. vehicles while Japan exports millions of vehicles into the U.S.

Following the Japan-U.S. tariff negotiation agreement in July, an executive order signed by Trump in September included the phrase “The Government of Japan is also working to accept for sale in Japan United States-manufactured and United States-safety-certified passenger vehicles without additional testing,” which is believed to reflect Trump’s thinking.

However, immediately after the Japan-U.S. agreement was reached, then transport minister Hiromasa Nakano pointed out the importance of safety in the Japanese traffic environment. It appears that the ministry is considering a relaxed certification system that would only apply to U.S.-made cars that meet the same level of safety standards as Japan. Such vehicles would likely be accepted without the need of additional testing.

‘No surge in U.S.-made cars’

”U.S. cars are specialized for U.S. consumers, and the reality is that they are not selling well in other countries, not just in Japan,” said Goro Okazaki, a motor journalist. “In the end, there will likely not be a sudden increase in imports of U.S. cars to Japan so will not have a major impact on safety.”