According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), there are 56 models produced in the US by Japanese automakers. The other Japanese-branded vehicles are, of course, imported from Japan or somewhere else. However, in light of the current tariff climate, there’s a chance that US-made Japanese cars, like the Toyota Tundra and Nissan Murano, will be imported to Japan – a reverse-import scheme aimed at continuing to appease the Trump administration.
2025 Nissan Murano
Jared Rosenholtz/CarBuzz/Valnet
Toyota is among the first brands willing to try the scheme, with chairman Akio Toyoda telling reporters in July that there are many American Toyota models not sold in the Land of the Rising Sun, Nikkei Asia reports. Meanwhile, Masanori Katayama, chairman of the Japan Automobile Manufacturers Association and chairman of Isuzu Motors, exercises caution, saying that it’s not a bad idea if customers are willing to buy them.
2026 Toyota TRD Pro Wave Maker, the newest signature hero color for the series
Toyota
“Made In USA” Branding Could Work
Yoshiaki Kawano, an analyst at S&P Global Mobility, provided some insights about the reverse-import scheme. If this pushes on, Japanese consumers can expect high price tags for American-made vehicles due to production costs and exchange rates. Selling the “Made in USA” image could work to represent these prices, though Kawano pointed out that there’s a demand for huge vehicles in Japan.
Apart from the Tundra, other nameplates mentioned in the report are the Honda Ridgeline and the Nissan Frontier. Kawano also recognized that the Tundra might be too big for Japan, but still, “it’s already popular as a parallel import, and there’s a niche market for it,” he said.
The reverse-import scheme could also revive some discontinued JDM models, such as the Honda Odyssey and Toyota Camry – both said to still have fans in Japan even after leaving the market. The Sienna, a popular minivan in America, is also a likely candidate, while the Murano, which was discontinued in Japan in 2015, could make a comeback if the plan pushes through.
The Honda Odyssey has 280 hp under the hood.
Honda
Reverse-Import Numbers Are Increasing
Reverse-importing isn’t totally new in Japan. It’s currently happening with other brands, with an apparent rise in popularity. According to Nikkei Asia, imported units reached 60,328 units from January to July of this year, on their way to reaching or maybe even surpassing the record 107,092 units in 1995. Among the imported Japanese models in Japan are the Mitsubishi Triton (made in Thailand), the Suzuki Fronx, and the highly popular Jimny Nomade 5-door (both from India), as well as other Honda SUVs from India.
Among the most successful nameplates to have been imported from the US dates back to the 1990s, when Honda imported the Accord Wagon to Japan. According to reports, Honda sold over 40,000 units of the long-roof Accord to Japanese buyers in 1995. Of note, out of 56 Japanese-branded models produced in the US, 23 of them are potential imports after removing those already available locally.
Source: Nikkei Asia
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