Japan Proposes Mutual Recognition of Auto Standards with U.S.

   Tokyo, May 22 (Jiji Press)--The Japanese government has proposed a system of mutually recognizing vehicle safety standards with the United States under certain conditions as part of tariff talks between the two countries, people familiar with the matter said Thursday.
   The proposal is aimed at eliminating a nontariff trade barrier in Japan that the United States sees as a problem and advancing the tariff talks.
   Japanese economic revitalization minister Ryosei Akazawa, the country's chief negotiator in the tariff talks, will visit the United States for three days from Friday for the third round of negotiations. The two sides are expected to hold another round of talks as early as next week.
   Japan and the European Union screen vehicle safety under U.N. standards. They have a mutual recognition mechanism in place to allow Japan and the EU to skip a similar safety test if one side has completed it. This mechanism can reduce costs and labor at the time of export.
   The United States has its own federal safety standards, which means that it takes time to export vehicles to Japan. For example, the U.S. standards have no rules about pedestrian protection.

(2025/05/22-21:52)

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