Japan Plans to Ease Vehicle Safety Regulations

KatadataOTO – Japan is considering reviewing car safety standards to reach a trade agreement with the United States. This discourse emerged after Ryosei Akazawa, Japan's Chief Negotiator, began discussions regarding import tariffs imposed by Uncle Sam's country.

So far, United States car manufacturers have complained about how difficult it is to enter the Japanese car market. One of the reasons is the high vehicle safety standards, which are difficult to meet.

In fact, the U.S. Trade Representative last month received Japan's rejection of the United States' safety standard certification. The Land of the Rising Sun requested that the protection provided be in accordance with its regulations and have passed unique tests.

However, Shigeru Ishiba, the Prime Minister of Japan, revealed that there is still room to relax some safety criteria. This includes regulations related to crash testing.

Photo : Toyota Global

“We have to admit that there are differences in traffic conditions,” he said, as reported by Japan Times (23/04).
He also revealed that Japan is currently very focused on pedestrian safety, while the United States emphasizes protecting vehicle passengers from collisions.

Japan itself is trying to prepare a thorough offer in order to have the import tariffs set by America fully lifted. Especially since they were previously subject to a 24 percent tariff but managed to reduce it to 10 percent.

What Donald Trump, the President of the United States, has done is indeed controversial. In fact, his decisions have caused many companies in the automotive sector to scramble.

This is because the United States has long been one of the largest markets for the Japanese automotive industry. The existence of restrictions is certainly a stumbling block for their industry.

Photo : KatadataOTO

Katsunobu Kato, Japan's Minister of Finance, has also been scheduled to meet with Scott Bessent, the U.S. Secretary of the Treasury. Reportedly, many things will be discussed, but there has been no official response from the government.

“Whatever the agreement is, it must be mutually beneficial. If one side benefits and the other loses, it will not be an example for the world, while we want to be an example," he said.