I'll readily admit that it's not easy for foreign companies to do business in Japan, but protectionism is not the whole story, and I wonder to what extent it is an excuse. For years most US cars were not even offered in RHD version in Japan. I certainly would never buy a car in the US that was not offered in LHD version. To my knowledge, most US cars are still not offered in RHD version, in countries that drive on the other side of the road. How can you expect to do business like that? The US is certainly not devoid of protectionism, but foreign car makers were more proactive about responding to that, and have plants in the US now. I don't see any plans or even discussions for US car manufacturers to have plants in Japan. Plus, I think the bottom line is, quality or not, RHD or not, most US models are likely singularly unappealing to Japanese consumers - though there are exceptions. They are too big, and guzzle too much gas. Most European countries don't have the level of protectionism that Japan has, they are more at the US level, and most drive on the right, yet still US made cars don't sell well over there. Now, cars that are manufactured over there by e.g. Opel and Ford sell well, but often these are not the same vehicles offered here in the US. What those markets demand is very different, and unless a company is willing to provide what the market demands, they simply won't sell. That's just my 2c, am I totally off in this assessment?