TOKYO -- The Japanese government defended Toyota Motor Corp. on Friday as an "important corporate citizen" of the U.S., after President-elect Donald Trump singled out the automaker and threatened to slap punitive tariffs on its Mexico-built cars.
Trump has repeatedly hit out at U.S. companies for using lower-cost factories abroad at the expense of jobs at home. He has slammed U.S. automakers, including Ford which this week scrapped a planned $1.6 billion Mexico plant.
But the attack Thursday on Toyota is his first against a foreign automaker. "Toyota Motor said will build a new plant in Baja, Mexico, to build Corolla cars for U.S. NO WAY! Build plant in U.S. or pay big border tax," Trump tweeted.
Toyota Motor said will build a new plant in Baja, Mexico, to build Corolla cars for U.S. NO WAY! Build plant in U.S. or pay big border tax.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 5, 2017
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told reporters on Friday that Toyota was an "important corporate citizen," while Trade Minister Hiroshige Seko stressed the contribution of Japanese companies to U.S. employment.
