
Japan eases demand for US auto tariff repeal, proposes scaled reduction plan, Asahi reports
TOKYO :Japan has eased its demand for a full repeal of the 25 per cent U.S. auto tariff and is instead proposing a mechanism to reduce the rate based on how much countries contribute to the U.S. auto industry, the Asahi newspaper reported on Friday.
Japan's chief tariff negotiator, Ryosei Akazawa, is in Washington for a fifth round of talks with U.S. officials, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.
Under Japan's latest proposal, Washington would lower auto tariffs based on factors such as the number of vehicles Japanese automakers produce in the U.S. and the volume of cars exported from there to other markets, the Asahi said, without citing sources.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


CNA
3 hours ago
- CNA
North Korea hit by major internet outage, likely due to internal cause
SEOUL: North Korea's internet was hit by a major outage that lasted several hours on Saturday (Jun 7), knocking off connection to government web sites and official news services online and severing the reclusive country from cyberspace. It was not clear what caused the outage but it may have been internal rather than a cyberattack, as connections via China and Russia were affected, said researchers who monitor North Korea's internet and technology infrastructure. North Korea's main official news services, its Foreign Ministry, and the Air Koryo national airline were among websites inaccessible on Saturday, before they started coming back slowly around midday, according to checks by Reuters. North Korea's entire internet infrastructure was not showing up on systems that can monitor internet activities, and email services were also affected, Junade Ali, a United Kingdom-based researcher who monitors the North Korean internet, said earlier. "Hard to say if this is intentional or accidental - but seems like this is internal rather than an attack." Officials at South Korea's cyber terror response centre, a police division that monitors North Korea's cyber activities, could not be reached for comment. Martyn Williams, who specialises in North Korea's technology and infrastructure at the Washington-based Stimson Center, also said the cause appeared to be internal as the Chinese and Russian connections were not working. North Korea has one of the world's most strictly controlled internet systems, including access to any form of online communication. The general public has access only to an intranet set up by the government and that is not connected to the wider global network. An elite few in the government and leadership are allowed open internet access, and government and news websites often serve up propaganda for outside audiences. North Korea has in previous years experienced large internet outages suspected as being caused by cyberattacks. The country operates elite teams of hackers, including a group known as Lazarus run by the government intelligence apparatus, that are blamed for attacks against foreign institutions and companies and more recently for theft and the laundering of cryptocurrencies.


CNA
4 hours ago
- CNA
Yageo to meet with Japan's Shibaura Electronics in mid-June
(Corrects location in dateline, paragraph 2 to Taipei, not Kaohsiung) TAIPEI : Taiwan's Yageo will meet with Japan's Shibaura Electronics in the middle of this month in Tokyo to discuss cooperation, Yageo's chairman said on Saturday. Pierre Chen was speaking to reporters at an event in Taipei. Yageo, the world's largest maker of chip resistors, announced an unsolicited tender offer for Shibaura Electronics in February, aiming to acquire full control of the Japanese manufacturer that specialises in thermistor technology.

Straits Times
6 hours ago
- Straits Times
Japan trade negotiator Akazawa says he made progress in US tariff talks
The latest round of talks may be the last in-person meeting between Japanese and US officials before the upcoming Group of Seven leaders summit. PHOTO: REUTERS Japan trade negotiator Akazawa says he made progress in US tariff talks TOKYO - Japan had made some progress in a fifth round of trade talks with US officials aimed at ending tariffs that are hurting Japan's economy, Tokyo's chief tariff negotiator said. 'Tariffs have already been imposed on autos, auto parts, steel and aluminium, and some of them have doubled to 50 per cent along with 10 per cent general tariff. These are causing daily losses to Japan's economy,' Mr Ryosei Akazawa, said in Washington on June 6 after talks with officials, including Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. Mr Akazawa declined to say what progress they had made. The latest round of talks may be the last in-person meeting between senior Japanese and US officials before the Group of Seven (G-7) leaders summit that starts on June 15, where US President Donald Trump is expected to meet Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. Japan also faces a 24 per cent tariff rate starting in July unless it can negotiate a deal with Washington. 'We want an agreement as soon as possible. The G-7 summit is on our radar, and if our leaders meet, we want to show what progress has been made,' Mr Akazawa said. 'Still we must balance urgency with a need to guard our national interests,' he added. In May, Japan's trade negotiator said US defence equipment purchases, shipbuilding technology collaboration, a revision of automobile import standards and an increase in agricultural imports could be bargaining chips in tariff talks. In a bid to reach an agreement with the US, Japan is also proposing a mechanism to reduce the auto tariff rate based on how much countries contribute to the US auto industry, the Asahi newspaper reported on June 6. Mr Akazawa said Japan's position has not changed and that the tariffs are not acceptable. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.