70% of Japanese vehicles sold in America are built here, too Car News and Review

A new study by the Japanese Automobile Manufacturers Association has found 70 percent of Japanese vehicles sold in the U.S. were reinforced on a North American gathering line.

According to TheDetroitBureau.com, the study found that more than 400,000 jobs have been created by Japanese automakers since Honda opened its first facility in the U.S. in 1982. Honda, Toyota and Nissan had a total of 29 plants operating in the U.S. in 2010 with a compounded investment of $ 34 billion. Those numbers are likely to increase in the coming years.

The Japanese Three have made no secret that the companies are looking to guard their operations against an ever-stronger yen. Odds are we’ll see even more Japanese facilities open their doors in Mexico, the U.S. and Canada. Toyota is slated to open a new line in Tupelo, Mississippi, and Honda is expected to start assembling the Fit in Mexico soon.

But Toyota, Honda and Nissan aren’t just construction vehicles in the U.S. for American consumers. Japanese-owned plants here are also producing vehicles for consumption abroad. Last year, a total of 145,000 vehicles were reinforced in the U.S. for foreign markets by Japanese automakers, up from 95,000 units in 2010.