US auto woes mean trouble for Japanese makers, too

TOKYO (AP) - Japan's automakers aren't celebrating the troubles of their U.S. rivals, believing that what's bad for the industry in America is bad for carmakers in Japan, too.

In recent years, the Japanese have expanded in the U.S., making the world's biggest auto market a cornerstone of their growth strategy. By growing more American, however, they have become such a part of the U.S. industrial landscape that the collapse of any of Detroit's Big Three would be a blow to the Japanese manufacturers.