Trump could extend 90-day tariff pause in July, White House says
WASHINGTON (Kyodo) -- U.S. President Donald Trump could extend his administration's 90-day pause on so-called reciprocal tariffs, set to expire on July 9, the White House said Thursday.
As Japan's top tariff negotiator arrived in Washington seeking to hold another round of talks with U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said at a press briefing, "The deadline is not critical."
"The president can simply provide these countries with a deal if they refuse to make us one by the deadline, and that means the president can pick a reciprocal tariff rate that he believes is advantageous for the United States," Leavitt added.
She said the United States has had "very good and productive discussions with many of our key trading partners."
When asked about the pause, she said, "Perhaps it could be extended, but that's a decision for the president to make."
Her remarks came as Japan and some other major U.S. trading partners are continuing to negotiate with Trump's trade team to secure concessions on the higher tariffs he has imposed since taking office in January.
Among senior officials of the Trump administration, Bessent said publicly for the first time in mid-June that it could roll the pause forward if key U.S. trading partners continue to negotiate "in good faith."
Japan's top negotiator, Ryohei Akazawa, arrived in the U.S. capital on Thursday for his seventh round of ministerial tariff negotiations with the United States.
Akazawa's visit through Saturday comes after Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Trump failed to strike a deal on tariffs last week when they met bilaterally on the sidelines of a Group of Seven summit in Canada.
At the time, Ishiba and Trump agreed ministerial talks for a deal that serves the interests of both Japan and the United States will continue. Trump told reporters hours later that the Japanese are "tough."
Upon his arrival at an airport near Washington, Akazawa told reporters, "I want to refrain from commenting on which areas I will strongly emphasize (in the upcoming talks) as that pertains to the specifics of our diplomatic exchanges."
The 90-day pause applies to country-specific tariffs under Trump's reciprocal 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 targeting imports from all parts of the world.
Japan is facing an additional country-specific tariff of 14 percent, for a total rate of 24 percent.
The Trump administration's additional tariffs targeting the automotive industry is a particular concern for Japan.
The administration raised the tariff rate on imported passenger vehicles by 25 percentage points to 27.5 percent in early April, hitting the industry hard.
Akazawa has reiterated that the additional tariffs are unacceptable.
A Japanese government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said, "If we can get it down to 10 percent before the upper house election, that would be a big win," referring to the auto tariff rate.
Japan's House of Councillors election will be held on July 20. The election will be a critical test for Ishiba, who has been heading a minority government since the ruling coalition lost its majority in the more powerful House of Representatives last October.
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