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04 May, 2025
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Japan wants all tariffs reviewed to reach deal with U.S.: negotiator
@Source: japantoday.com
Japan has no intention of striking a trade deal with the U.S. administration of President Donald Trump unless all of its new tariffs are reviewed, top negotiator Ryosei Akazawa indicated Saturday as he returned to Japan following the second round of ministerial-level tariff talks in Washington. "We have pressed the United States to reconsider all of the series of tariff measures and we cannot reach an agreement if that is not properly addressed in a package," Akazawa told reporters after meeting Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba to discuss the outcome of the negotiations. The remarks underscore that the two countries are at odds over what tariffs are negotiable, with the U.S. side showing its unwillingness to back off from duties on imports of automobiles and steel and aluminum, while the Japanese side is hoping for the elimination of such levies. The Japanese government has been particularly concerned about the new 25 percent duties targeting the auto industry, which accounted for nearly 30 percent of total exports to the United States by value last year. Trump, who believes that the United States has been "ripped off" by its trading partners and is critical of trade deficits, has imposed 25 percent levies on all imported steel and aluminum and 25 percent tariffs on automobiles produced outside the United States. He has also announced so-called reciprocal tariffs, which amount to 24 percent for Japan including a baseline tariff of 10 percent. The extra portion has currently been put on hold as negotiations continue. The Trump administration is believed to be focused on negotiating with Japan the halted portion of the reciprocal tariff rate. In another blow, a 25 percent tariff on certain auto parts took effect on Saturday, to which Ishiba expressed his strong disappointment. "Japan will continue to ask for U.S. tariff measures to be reconsidered," Ishiba told reporters after meeting Akazawa, also Japan's economic revitalization minister, admitting that Japan and the United States have not yet "reached common ground." He also emphasized that Japan is negotiating with the United States on "all" U.S. tariffs, including those on auto, steel and aluminum.
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