Japan says no rift with U.S. on reciprocal tariff deal
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi reiterated that goods to be shipped to the United States from Japan facing tariffs of less than 15 percent will be subject to a uniform 15 percent duty, while levies on those with higher rates will remain unchanged.
An executive order signed earlier by U.S. President Donald Trump made no mention of this point and a White House official said Wednesday that Japanese imports taxed at 15 percent or higher will still face an additional 15 percent rate.
"We have confirmed that there is no discrepancy," Hayashi told a press conference.
The top government spokesman said Japan's chief negotiator Ryosei Akazawa, who is on a visit to Washington, has checked with the U.S. side the details of the bilateral agreement over the reciprocal duty and urged Washington to take measures immediately to implement it.
"We will continue to communicate with the United States at various levels to make sure that the agreement is firmly in place," Hayashi said.
Based on the bilateral deal, the United States is expected to lower auto tariffs on Japanese cars. But skeptics in Japan say uncertainty remains over when and if the reduction from the current 27.5 percent can be realized without a written agreement.
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