Washington — US President Donald Trump pressed Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to have Japanese carmakers produce more vehicles in the US according to a readout of their meeting provided by the US ambassador to Japan.  The two last week discussed public announcements by Japanese carmakers, including Toyota  decision to invest more in US plants. “We talked about the need to see more movement in that direction but I think the president feels very positive that we will see such movement because all the economics support that,” said ambassador William Hagerty. Trump told a campaign rally in Green Bay, Wisconsin, on Saturday that Abe said Japan would invest $40bn in US car factories, though Trump did not give details on the timeline for the planned investments. Toyota, Japan’s largest carmaker, said in March it would exceed a 2017 pledge to invest $10bn over five years with a new commitment to reach nearly $13bn over that period. Trump has prodded Japanese carmakers to add more jobs i...

Subscribe now to unlock this article.

Support BusinessLIVE’s award-winning journalism for R129 per month (digital access only).

There’s never been a more important time to support independent journalism in SA. Our subscription packages now offer an ad-free experience for readers.

Cancel anytime.

Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.

Speech Bubbles

Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.