September 27, 2018

Chairman’s Comment on the Outcome of the U.S.-Japan Leaders’ Summit This Week
Akio Toyoda
Chairman, Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association, Inc.

At the U.S.-Japan leaders’ summit in New York on September 26, the United States and Japan agreed to enter into a new trade dialogue. With the automobile industry now in a period of major transition, cooperation between the United States and Japan based on a free and fair trade environment and mutual trust is critical to the continued sustainable development and global competitiveness of the U.S. and Japanese automotive industries. We welcome the agreement that U.S. Section 232-based tariff measures on auto imports will not be taken while talks are ongoing. Further, we hope the consultations that take place during that process will prove positive for the automobile industry and for the economy on both sides.

Japanese automakers have been investing and creating jobs in the U.S. for over fifty years. Today we have 24 manufacturing plants and 44 research-and-development/ design centers in 19 states and take pride in being an integral part of the U.S. automotive industry.

We look forward to continuing our business activities rooted in the United States and backed by the support of our U.S. customers and local communities, so that we may, in turn, continue to contribute to economic growth and the further advancement of the automobile industry.