Why aren't there any japanese diesel cars ?
Can (do) they make them ?
There are, but they are mainly sold in Europe. Plus, the Japanese are very fond of the hybrid stuff.
Honda recently came out with an excellent new diesel engine, but I think it's only available in the Accord, and only in Europe.
I actually had a diesel Nissan Sentra years ago. It was somewhat underpowered, lacking a turbo, but extremely dependable, and lasted a long time (265k+ mi.) despite a lack of proper servicing.
They do make them and they are coming. Many think they are just waiting till the ULSD diesel is actually mandated. It's also commonly thought that the new diesels that VW has introduced here in the States are slightly detuned versions of the same engines in Europe to accomodate our high-sulpher fuel.
Mercedes has introduced a model this year, and the CRD in the Jeep is a Mercedes diesel engine.
As it is, several states: CA, MA and NY come to mind, do not allow diesels to be sold. These idiots in the state version of the EPA are selling us out in the name of the environment.
Funny thing is most of these folks who like to quote whatever the Euros do in the name of the environment, conveniently forget that the diesel makes up over half of all car sales over there.