On Easter Sunday, US president Donald Trump took to his social media platform, Truth Social, to warn America’s trade partners about eight “non-tariff cheating” practices. Among the familiar grievances was a curious accusation that left many scratching their heads: Japan’s so-called “bowling ball test.”
“It’s the bowling ball test,” Trump said. “They take a bowling ball from 20 feet up in the air and drop it on the hood of the car. If the hood dents, the car doesn’t qualify. It’s horrible.”
The claim isn’t new. Trump first floated this theory in 2018 during a fundraising event in Missouri, according to audio obtained by The Washington Post. At the time, the White House press secretary Sarah Sanders dismissed it, saying the president was “obviously joking.”
Still, the comment struck a chord. Trump, then and now, uses the example to suggest that Japan imposes arbitrary technical standards to keep American-made vehicles out of its market.
No evidence, but the claim keeps rolling
There’s no official confirmation that Japan conducts any such test. In fact, many believe Trump may have been referring to an old Nissan television advert showing bowling balls dropped on a car to demonstrate durability. Another theory suggests a link to Japanese pedestrian safety tests involving head-shaped objects the size of a bowling ball.
Despite the speculation, the metaphor has stuck.
And Trump hasn’t dropped it. In his latest Truth Social post, he used the “bowling ball test” to illustrate what he called “protective technical standards” that favour local industries while quietly excluding foreign competitors.
Japan considers softening safety rules
The timing of Trump’s post is notable. According to Nikkei Asia, Japan is currently weighing whether to ease its crash test regulations in an effort to reduce trade tensions with the United States.
Tokyo’s safety and environmental standards have long been a point of friction with Washington. As part of the now-defunct Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), Japan had earlier agreed to reduce certain barriers. Trump pulled the US out of the TPP shortly after taking office in 2017.
Since then, issues around car imports have continued to simmer. Regulatory differences—particularly in technical specifications—have repeatedly sparked complaints from US officials and auto manufacturers.
The Full List: What Trump calls “non-tariff cheating”
The “bowling ball test” was just one item on a longer list. Trump’s Easter post named eight practices he accuses trade partners of using to disadvantage American businesses:
These, he said, are “non-tariff cheating” tactics. “Such actions can spoil relations with the United States,” Trump warned.
Trump has made battling unfair trade a central theme of his political identity. Whether discussing car imports from Japan or the European Union’s rules on genetically engineered corn, his language is often blunt, and his examples sometimes unconventional.
“The President has been talking about unfair trade practices for decades. It is not new for him,” Sarah Sanders said in 2018. “Part of the reason he was elected was to end unfair trade practices and push for free, fair and reciprocal trade so American goods can compete in more foreign markets.”
As Trump ramps up rhetoric ahead of another potential presidential run, trade tensions are once again in his crosshairs. And while the “bowling ball test” may not exist, the deeper issues of regulatory friction and economic nationalism remain all too real.
“It’s the bowling ball test,” Trump said. “They take a bowling ball from 20 feet up in the air and drop it on the hood of the car. If the hood dents, the car doesn’t qualify. It’s horrible.”
The claim isn’t new. Trump first floated this theory in 2018 during a fundraising event in Missouri, according to audio obtained by The Washington Post. At the time, the White House press secretary Sarah Sanders dismissed it, saying the president was “obviously joking.”
Still, the comment struck a chord. Trump, then and now, uses the example to suggest that Japan imposes arbitrary technical standards to keep American-made vehicles out of its market.
No evidence, but the claim keeps rolling
There’s no official confirmation that Japan conducts any such test. In fact, many believe Trump may have been referring to an old Nissan television advert showing bowling balls dropped on a car to demonstrate durability. Another theory suggests a link to Japanese pedestrian safety tests involving head-shaped objects the size of a bowling ball.
Despite the speculation, the metaphor has stuck.
And Trump hasn’t dropped it. In his latest Truth Social post, he used the “bowling ball test” to illustrate what he called “protective technical standards” that favour local industries while quietly excluding foreign competitors.
Japan considers softening safety rules
The timing of Trump’s post is notable. According to Nikkei Asia, Japan is currently weighing whether to ease its crash test regulations in an effort to reduce trade tensions with the United States.
Tokyo’s safety and environmental standards have long been a point of friction with Washington. As part of the now-defunct Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), Japan had earlier agreed to reduce certain barriers. Trump pulled the US out of the TPP shortly after taking office in 2017.
Since then, issues around car imports have continued to simmer. Regulatory differences—particularly in technical specifications—have repeatedly sparked complaints from US officials and auto manufacturers.
The Full List: What Trump calls “non-tariff cheating”
The “bowling ball test” was just one item on a longer list. Trump’s Easter post named eight practices he accuses trade partners of using to disadvantage American businesses:
- Currency manipulation
- Value-Added Taxes (VATs) that act as export subsidies
- Dumping goods below cost
- Government subsidies
- Protective agricultural standards
- Protective technical standards
- Counterfeiting and intellectual property theft
- Transshipping goods to avoid tariffs
These, he said, are “non-tariff cheating” tactics. “Such actions can spoil relations with the United States,” Trump warned.
Trump has made battling unfair trade a central theme of his political identity. Whether discussing car imports from Japan or the European Union’s rules on genetically engineered corn, his language is often blunt, and his examples sometimes unconventional.
“The President has been talking about unfair trade practices for decades. It is not new for him,” Sarah Sanders said in 2018. “Part of the reason he was elected was to end unfair trade practices and push for free, fair and reciprocal trade so American goods can compete in more foreign markets.”
As Trump ramps up rhetoric ahead of another potential presidential run, trade tensions are once again in his crosshairs. And while the “bowling ball test” may not exist, the deeper issues of regulatory friction and economic nationalism remain all too real.
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