Over 2 decades ago, Japanese automakers were king. The first Honda cars were being rolled off of the production line at the inaugural plant in North America, and Japanese cars were selling.

So, what has happened since then? Are Japanese automakers still king, or have they lost their way? After all, there have been over 20 biggest car mistakes to have come from Japan over the years.

Let's dive a little deeper and see what has happened to the once-supreme Japanese automakers...

Lost Control Of The Chinese Market

Toyota assembly line
via Nikkei Asian Review

The Senkaku Islands are a little over a thousand miles from Tokyo, but both China and Japan sought control of these barren slats of land.

Tokyo's governor at the time went to buy the islands fro their private owners, spurring anti-Japanese riots across China. Say goodbye, Toyota.

Unfortunately for Japan, at this time, China's automaker was the largest in the entire world. From 2012-2015, the share of Japanese makers in China steadily declined to just 16.6%. In comparison, European countries rose by a whopping 22% during this time period, as did American auto companies.

With General Motors and Ford gaining traction on the biggest automakers of Japan, American companies are just shy of passing Japan - at least in the Chinese market.

With the loss of China in its repertoire, Japan has visibly failed to dominate this auto market - the largest in the world. The issue with the control of islands was devastating to Japan, creating a chain reaction of events that caused a lack of healing with their nearby neighbor, China, stopped trade access, and hurt their own government and economy.

RELATED: 21 Sports Cars From Japan We Can't Get In The US (9 More From Around The World)

Unprecedented Events

Japan's automakers have felt the pain and the sting of a huge tax hike, typhoons, and floods, all of which have negatively affected the car market.

After the 2011 earthquake and the tsunami that ravaged the country, the companies sought out to establish back up plans that would take care of any future acts of God - although no one has planned for the most recent virus.

New vehicle sales dropped sharply, falling to just over 10% in February, showing the fifth straight monthly fall that was in double digits.

RELATED: 20 Weird Cars From Japan We Never Get To See Here (And Never Will)

Sports Car Issues

Subaru WRX STI
via Top Speed

Add to that a lack of insight when producing some of their most recent sports cars has really knocked Japan out of the top spot in terms of automakers of the world.

Japanese sports cars are not as competitive as that of other companies on the market. Many models that were sought after in the 1990s are no longer available, or no longer wanted, like the Mitsubishi 3000GT VR4 and the Mazda RX-7.

The newer models are less exciting than the previous offerings, lacking the option of a more powerful engine, causing the vehicle to fall flat in the current market. The other options they continually try to push, like the Nissan 370Z, is still too heavy when compared to other similar options.

Japanese sports cars may have died because the American consumer no longer wants them. Maybe we want to focus more on family-friendly SUVs and accessible sedans instead of high-powered sports cars, causing the market to shift in accordance - and provide us with fewer Japanese options in return.

With all of these aforementioned issues, it is no wonder that Japan is quickly falling from the #1 spot in the world.

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