JAPAN

Some Dealers May Sell More U.S. Cars: Responding to U.S. trade pressure, Japanese auto makers are beginning to allow their dealers to accept American-made vehicles on sales lots. Toyota Motor Corp. said it will allow its dealerships throughout Japan to sell cars made by other companies. Toyota, Japan’s largest auto maker, is the second Japanese car maker to give dealerships a free hand in selling other makes. Nissan Motor Co., Japan’s second-largest auto manufacturer, said last month it would remove a clause in its contracts with dealers urging them to sell only Nissan autos. Close-knit networks of manufacturers, suppliers and dealers are common in Japan’s auto industry. The United States has said the networks act as a trade barrier. Japanese auto makers sold 3.3 million cars and trucks in the United States last year, while U.S. auto makers sold less than 30,000 passenger cars in Japan.