Japan is considering the purchase of Ford F-150 pickup trucks for use as government vehicles in an effort to fulfill pledges made during trade negotiations with the United States, according to unsourced news reports.

U.S. President Donald Trump, who may visit Japan in late October, mentioned over the summer that Japan will be buying the iconic American vehicle, but didn't provide details at the time.

“Japan has totally opened up their country,” Trump said during a CNBC interview on Aug. 5. “They’re taking the very beautiful Ford 150, which does very well, and I’m sure we’ll do very well there, and other things that do very well here will also do well there.”

TV Asahi, which first reported the plans to import the F-150, said the trucks will be used for construction and road patrols conducted by local transportation ministry offices.

During the course of tariff negotiations, Trump repeatedly complained about the lack of American cars on Japanese roads. Japan exported 1.37 million vehicles to the U.S. in 2024, while taking only 16,074 cars made in the U.S., according to Finance Ministry data.

In a statement issued with the United States in September, Japan agreed to increase its purchase of “a range of U.S. industrial and consumer goods,” and to allow American cars that are safety-certified in the U.S. to be sold in Japan without additional testing.

Ford started producing F-series pickups in 1948, and the first F-150 was produced in 1975.

The company withdrew from the Japanese market in 2016.

Ryosei Akazawa, Japan's chief tariff negotiator, wouldn't confirm the F-150 deal when asked about it on Friday morning.

“What President Trump seems to have a strong interest in are rice and whether American-made cars are running on Japanese roads,” he said.

“I understand from reports that it’s one of President Trump’s favorites, as he often mentions Ford’s F-150. So I imagine it’s something he particularly likes,” he added.

Akazawa spoke with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick over the phone for about 60 minutes earlier on Friday morning.

“This is purely my own speculation, but as reported, with the president’s visit to Japan approaching, I believe the U.S. side also wishes to review and confirm the progress made by both sides regarding the contents of the Japan-U.S. tariff agreement,” he said.