Honda makes cars in Thailand and imports them to Japan. Toyota produces pickup trucks in South Africa and Argentina.
These are recent examples of how two of the nation's leading automakers are accelerating efforts to link their respective production bases abroad.
Global networking -- made possible by the improved quality of manufacturers' factories in countries less developed than Japan -- helps the firms achieve an optimal mix of cost efficiency, labor skills and consumer markets.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.