0: When it comes to cars, Americans seem to love the Japanese.

4: But the Japanese don't seem to love Americans back.

8: Japanese brands sell remarkably well in the United States.

12: Several of the best-selling automakers in America are from Japan, and

15: their products seem to dominate entire segments in sales and critical

19: acclaim. Japanese automakers sell so many cars in the U.S.

23: that they actually employ vast numbers of American workers in factories

27: around the country.

28: Japanese automakers actually build a third of all the vehicles made in the

33: U.S. But the Japanese don't seem to be interested in America's SUVs,

38: pickup trucks, muscle cars or just about any vehicle made by Detroit.

42: Ford left Japan entirely in 2017.

45: General Motors keeps a presence there, but it is tiny — the largest U.S.

50: automaker sold only 700 cars in Japan in 2018.

55: And people are divided as to why and what, if anything, should be done

59: about it.

61: President Donald Trump has criticized the imbalance, but so have U.S.

65: automotive trade associations, who blame Japanese protectionism.

70: While there are no Japanese tariffs on U.S.

72: imports, a number of critics say there are all kinds of technical barriers

76: that make it harder for U.S.

78: companies to sell in Japan.

79: Here in the United States, when we set regulations for fuel economy or

83: safety or communications standards or whatever, all of the automakers that

87: sell and produce in the United States are party to that conversation.

91: In Japan, it's a much more closed process for regulatory compliance.

96: It's "these are the rules and you will meet the rules."

97: Japanese producers have input into that and suppliers, but it's pretty

101: closed to any external companies that would be doing business there.

106: But some industry experts say that really isn't the problem.

109: Instead, the reasons U.S.

111: cars are so rare in Japan, which is the world's third-largest car market,

116: have more to do with Japanese consumer tastes, the abiding if outdated

120: stereotypes the Japanese have about the quality of American cars, and the

124: very different way customers shop for vehicles in Japan.

129: It is first important to note that Japanese brands all but completely

133: dominate local roads.

134: More than 95 percent of all cars sold in the country are Japanese.

139: Imports make up the balance and most of those are higher-end European

143: luxury vehicles and sports cars.

146: This is partly because the Japanese have pretty specific needs.

149: For one thing, space is incredibly tight.

152: Wildly popular in Japan are these so-called Kei cars, which are tiny

156: vehicles preferred by drivers who have to thread their way through narrow

160: streets and crowded cities.

172: Kei Cars alone make up 40 percent of the Japanese

177: market and U.S.

178: automakers don't make them.

180: Americans, on the other hand, tend to excel in making big vehicles,

185: particularly pickup trucks and large sport utilities.

188: In recent years, American automakers have scaled back or even entirely

192: killed off their own lines of compact vehicles, which are often still

196: bigger than their Japanese counterparts.

198: In fact, many of the Japanese vehicles sold in America — from sedans such

202: as the Toyota Camry all the way up to the pickups — are not even

205: particularly popular in Japan.

207: All three Detroit automakers have less than 1 percent market share.

212: One of the bestsellers, Jeep, sells about 10,000 vehicles in Japan a year.

217: The Japanese car buying experience would also likely shock many Americans,

221: who often view a trip to the dealership as one of life's necessary evils.

226: Much of Japanese business culture is built around service and hospitality,

229: and auto dealerships are no exception.

232: Japanese dealerships offer customers nearly white glove service, and the

237: way buyers choose cars is entirely different from the traditional buying

240: experience in the U.S.

242: Whereas American shoppers will often choose a car from what is available

246: on a dealer lot, Japanese buyers can often custom-build a car out of a

250: catalog and then have it made for them in a matter of weeks.

267: A strong local supply chain and local factories allow Japanese automakers

272: to do this.

273: Furthermore, quality of service is often quite high.

276: Dealerships frequently have amenities such as cafes and complimentary car

279: washes. They will also follow up with customers sometimes even years after

284: a purchase.

285: Foreign automakers overall have had difficulty adapting to this way of

288: selling. Moreover, the Japanese have longstanding perceptions of American

293: cars as inefficient and unreliable.

295: This somewhat outdated view originates in the decades from the 1960s

300: through the 1980s, when Japanese brands were ascending and American

304: automakers were plagued with criticism and scandal over vehicles such as

307: the Chevrolet Vega, the AMC Gremlin, the Ford Pinto and the Chevrolet

312: Corvair.

313:

330: And though American manufacturers have made far more fuel-efficient engines

333: in recent years, the U.S.

335: has historically made some gas guzzlers when compared with cars made

338: elsewhere.

339: Yeah, I think there is a hangover for American vehicles.

341: You know, what does an American car say about you in Japan.

345: That baggage is carried with that.

348: Meanwhile, the Japanese rose to power in the auto industry in large part on

352: their reputation for building solid, efficient cars that don't break down.

356: Of course, many observers note that American autos have done a lot to

360: close the reliability gap over the years, and cars overall are able to log

365: far more miles on the road than they did even a decade ago.

369: And U.S.

369: automakers are adamant that they would be better able to compete in Japan

373: if the country removes barriers that make doing business difficult.

377: The trouble for Detroit is that Japan is just one of the international

380: markets where U.S.

381: automakers have struggled.

382: All three Detroit automakers have had challenges in South America and

386: Europe. While China which is the world's largest car market could become a

390: tougher place to do business with slowing economic growth, increased

394: competition, and trade disputes.

396:

411: If something doesn't change, U.S.

413: automakers could become just that: American companies that sell trucks and

417: SUVs to Americans.