US senator wants Toyota ban

A Republican senator has suggested banning all Japanese car imports to the US in the wake of the recent Toyota accelerator recalls.

Speaking during a congressional committee hearing, Mike Johanns asked US transport secretary Ray La Hood what would happen if "until the Japanese government can assure us that all the defects are out of these vehicles, we're just not going to accept any vehicles from Japan".

Johanns also claimed that "the American consumer is getting tired of this thing if we are getting substandard products".

Johanns was agriculture secretary in the Bush administration when the Japanese banned beef imports because of a scare over mad cow disease, and conceded his stance regarding Toyotas was motivated by his experiences during that time.

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