<P> The automotive industry in Japan is one of the most prominent and largest industries in the world . Japan has been in the top three of the countries with most cars manufactured since the 1960s , surpassing Germany . The automotive industry in Japan rapidly increased from the 1970s to the 1990s ( when it was oriented both for domestic use and worldwide export ) and in the 1980s and 1990s , overtook the U.S. as the production leader with up to 13 million cars per year manufactured and significant exports . After massive ramp - up by China in the 2000s and fluctuating U.S. output , Japan is now currently the third largest automotive producer in the world with an annual production of 9.9 million automobiles in 2012 . Japanese investments helped grow the auto industry in many countries throughout the last few decades . </P>
when did japan become one of the leading manufacturers of automobiles in the world
the 1960s