The United States on Monday prodded Japan to remove nontariff barriers for U.S. companies in the domestic automobile and insurance markets.

Various nontariff barriers have traditionally impeded access to Japan's car market, the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative said in its 2013 National Trade Estimate Report on Foreign Trade Barriers that was sent to Congress.

The report noted one nontariff barriers is "the lack of equivalent opportunities for U.S. models imported under the preferential handling procedure certification program to benefit from temporary fiscal incentive programs."