U.S. President Donald Trump said Japan will begin importing Ford’s F-150 pickup trucks, touting the move as proof that his trade strategy is opening the Japanese market to American vehicles. Industry analysts, however, note that the full-size truck is more than two metres wide and ill-suited to Japan’s narrow streets, and that Ford withdrew from Japan nearly a decade ago. Tokyo’s chief negotiator Ryosei Akazawa arrived in Washington this week to press the White House to implement a July accord that would cut the tariff on Japanese cars and parts to 15% from the current 27.5%. Japanese officials say the reduction should replace existing levies, while a U.S. executive order suggested the cut might apply only to the European Union, leaving the two governments publicly at odds over the deal’s scope and timing. Automakers are already absorbing heavy costs as Trump’s broader tariff programme takes effect. Toyota estimates the higher U.S. duties will slice ¥1.4 trillion (about $8.1 billion) from earnings this fiscal year after its April–June profit fell 36.9%. Honda’s quarterly net income halved, Subaru said profits could drop by half despite sidestepping $1 billion in duties, and Kobe Steel warned Japan’s auto exports to the United States could shrink 20%. The Wall Street Journal puts global auto-industry losses from the tariffs at roughly $12 billion, the worst blow since the pandemic. Economists and trade experts argue that the limited penetration of U.S. cars in Japan stems less from regulatory barriers than from mismatched products and consumer preferences. Even if tariffs fall, they say, Detroit’s large, fuel-hungry models will struggle to find buyers unless manufacturers adapt their line-ups to Japan’s compact-car culture.