Ford's F-150 could be key to fixing a trade imbalance with Japan

AI-assisted summary

Japan is reportedly considering purchasing a fleet of Ford F-150 trucks as a diplomatic gesture to the U.S.

The potential purchase follows President Trump's push for Japan to open its markets to more American cars.

It has been nearly a decade since Ford Motor Co. has sold its vehicles in Japan and for good reason — the automaker has had no chance at profitability in a country that preferred its own small domestic vehicles to the big, flashy American-made cars.

In fact, since World War II, American car companies have struggled to get a significant foothold in Japan, which hasn’t put tariffs on imported vehicles since the late 1970s. General Motors vehicle sales in Japan made up less than 1% of the nation's total car sales last year, according to the New York Times