So Trump-like: Relief but no surprise in Japan as US cuts tariffs
In the Japanese city of Seki, famed for its razor-sharp artisan knives, news that incoming US tariffs will be lowered is welcome but not entirely unexpected.
Around 40 percent of kitchen blades produced in Seki, where knifemaking expertise dates back 700 years, are exported to the United States, local authorities say.
The two countries announced Wednesday they had cut a deal to lower the 25-percent tariffs on Japanese goods threatened by US President Donald Trump -- starting on August 1 -- to 15 percent.
'Lower tariffs are better' but 'I'm not that surprised' at the trade deal, said Katsumi Sumikama, head of Sumikama Cutlery in Seki.
'I don't know what truly happened, but I feel like maybe Trump thought tariffs up to 15 percent were acceptable, and boldly proposed a higher tariff rate at first,' Sumikama told AFP.
'Then as the negotiations took shape, he tried to create a good impression in the public eye by lowering it from 25 percent.
That kind of strategy would be so Trump-like.' The US leader, who hailed the Japan deal as 'massive', has vowed to hit dozens of countries with punitive tariffs if they do not hammer out a pact with Washington by the end of July.
Japan is one of five nations to have signed an agreement -- along with Britain, Vietnam, Indonesia and the Philippines -- after Trump said in April he would strike '90 deals in 90 days'.
Headlines have focused on the impact of US tariffs on the likes of Toyota and others in Japan's huge auto industry, as well as trade in steel, rice and other key goods.
But Japanese knives have in recent years become a luxury must-have in kitchens worldwide including the United States, partly fuelled by a pandemic-era home cooking boom.
'Weathered the storm' - Blademaking in Seki dates back to the 14th century, when the city in the mountains of Gifu region became a major producer of swords thanks to its rich natural environment.
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