Trump floats idea of imposing 30% or 35% tariffs on Japan
"I'm not sure we're going to make a deal. I doubt it," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One, calling Japan "very tough" and "very spoiled."
He reiterated his complaint that Japan does not import enough cars or rice from the United States. "On trade, they've been very unfair, and those days are gone," he said.
Trump said he would send a letter to Japan reading, "'Thank you very much...we know you can't do the kind of things that we need, and therefore you pay a 30 percent, a 35 percent or whatever the number is that we determine.'"
Trump made the comments when asked whether he was considering extending his administration's 90-day pause on country-specific tariffs, set to expire on July 9.
The pause was put in place with the aim of facilitating negotiations with major U.S. trading partners. In recent days, Trump has been particularly targeting Japan on the trade front.
Under his so-called reciprocal "Liberation Day" tariffs, Japan is currently facing an additional tariff of 14 percent, for a total rate of 24 percent.
The 90-day pause applies only to country-specific tariffs under the scheme, covering about 60 trading partners that have notable trade surpluses with the United States. It does not affect his baseline duty of 10 percent against imports globally.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
NHK
an hour ago
- NHK
Trump visits 'Alligator Alcatraz' migrant detention center in Florida wetland
US President Donald Trump has toured a new immigration detention center built in a wetland in Florida, teeming with alligators. On Tuesday, Trump visited the facility located within an airport. The complex is dubbed "Alligator Alcatraz" after a prison on Alcatraz Island in California that was closed in 1963, as it has been claimed those held there could be attacked by alligators if they escape. Trump said after touring the site, "I looked outside and that's not a place I want to go hiking anytime soon." He also said, "We're surrounded by miles of treacherous swampland and the only way out is really deportation." Reuters news agency said the facility could house some 5,000 people, with the first of them expected to start arriving as soon as Wednesday. In May this year, Trump said he was directing the Department of Justice and other federal agencies to "reopen a substantially enlarged and rebuilt ALCATRAZ" to house illegal immigrants.
Japan Times
an hour ago
- Japan Times
Nippon Steel aiming to prove value of Japan-U.S. cooperation, chairman says
Nippon Steel Chairman Eiji Hashimoto said in a meeting with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Wednesday that he wants to prove the value of cooperation between Japanese and U.S. manufacturers through his company's acquisition of United States Steel. "We want to improve the quality of U.S. Steel and prove that cooperation between Japanese and U.S. manufacturers is useful," Hashimoto said at the start of the meeting at the prime minister's office, in which other Nippon Steel executives also attended. He reported to the prime minister that the takeover has been completed, and expressed gratitude for the Japanese government's support over the buyout effort. Ishiba explained that Tokyo is continuing to urge the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump to review its high tariffs, saying that Japan is calling attention to investments rather than tariffs as it advances negotiations with the United States. Nippon Steel's acquisition of U.S. Steel, made possible through a commitment for massive investments, "can be a model case for future Japan-U.S. relations," the prime minister said. "The trend of the government strengthening its involvement in the economy and business will not change," Hashimoto told reporters after the meeting with Ishiba. "I think it will continue." On Trump's dissatisfaction over automobile trade between the two countries, Hashimoto said that "there is too much focus on the competitiveness of Japanese cars in the U.S. market as (the U.S. government) places importance on the manufacturing industry."
NHK
an hour ago
- NHK
Trump remark on Japan tariff hike may be mere threat, Japanese economist says
A Japanese economist has said that signaling by US President Donald Trump of a tariff hike on Japan is probably just a threat reflecting dissatisfaction with an uncompromising trade partner. Kiuchi Takahide, executive economist at Nomura Research Institute, spoke to NHK on Wednesday. He said the United States preferentially held talks with Japan initially to conclude a deal with Tokyo as a leading example for trade negotiations with other countries. Kiuchi added that Trump seems frustrated that Japan has conceded less than he expected in the talks so far. The economist said Trump's remark that he would force Japan to pay higher tariffs is merely a threat at the moment because if tariffs are tightened, US import prices will rise, affecting the country's economy this summer. He said if that happens, criticism of Trump's tariff policy within the US will increase, and financial markets could be thrown into confusion. As for Japanese delegates' repeatedly visiting the US for the negotiations, Kiuchi said such action can emphasize Japan's desire to reach an agreement with the US but will not necessarily lead to a deal. Kiuchi concluded that the US tariff policy will come to a standstill and the country may cut tariffs on its own in the next few months, so it would not benefit Japan to make concessions before that.
