Trump tariffs cast shadow over wagyu, sushi
Trump tariffs cast shadow over wagyu, sushi
The threat of tariffs from the Trump administration has food producers in Japan looking for sales channels elsewhere while also adding value to their products.
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Japan Times
34 minutes ago
- Japan Times
Vietnam trade envoy meets U.S. execs at Nike and Walmart ahead of tariff talks
Vietnam's trade minister has met with executives from Nike and Walmart as part of a major charm offensive targeting U.S. businesses, aiming to rally support ahead of high-stakes trade negotiations to avoid steep tariffs. Nguyen Hong Dien called on the companies to "voice their strong support and promote the negotiation process to soon reach a fair, balanced and sustainable agreement,' according to a statement on the Vietnamese trade ministry's website. Vietnam has engaged in weeks of intense diplomacy with the U.S. — the largest export market of the trade-reliant country — as it seeks to avert a threatened 46% tariff, which was later wound back to 10% for 90 days to allow time for talks. For Nike — which makes around half of its shoes and a quarter of its clothes in Vietnam — Dien warned that the proposed tariffs could impact its global supply chain and costs for U.S. consumers. He also encouraged Walmart to consider establishing a purchasing center in Vietnam. In a separate meeting, Exxon Mobil executives pledged their support for Vietnam in the ongoing trade negotiations, according to a ministry statement. The minister has been in the U.S. seeking to secure backing from key industry players, including the American Apparel & Footwear Association, Gap, Levi Strauss and others, ahead of another round of trade talks set to take place in the coming days. Vietnam cited progress after the second round of talks last month but said that outstanding issues remain. It's taken steps to address some U.S. concerns: stepping up a crackdown on trade fraud and promising to buy more from the U.S., including the recent $3 billion worth of agricultural products. But the longstanding desire within the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump to reduce Vietnam's Chinese imports remains. The U.S. remained Vietnam's largest export market in the first five months of the year, with shipments totaling $57.2 billion, the statistics office said Friday. China is still the biggest source of imports, with an estimated value of $69.4 billion in the same period.
Yomiuri Shimbun
36 minutes ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Trump White House Opens Door to Historic Military Deployment on U.S. Soil
Salwan Georges/The Washington Post National Guardsmen stand outside the Metropolitan Detention Center ahead of protests against immigration raids on Wednesday in Los Angeles. President Donald Trump is prepared to send National Guard troops into more U.S. cities if protests against immigration raids expand beyond Los Angeles, administration officials said Wednesday, potentially opening the door to the most extensive use of military force on American soil in modern history. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said in testimony to Congress that the Pentagon has the capability to surge National Guard troops to more cities 'if there are other riots in places where law enforcement officers are threatened.' White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt warned protesters beyond Los Angeles that more 'lawlessness' will only increase Trump's resolve. 'Let this be an unequivocal message to left-wing radicals in other parts of the country who are thinking about copycatting the violence in an effort to stop this administration's mass deportation efforts,' Leavitt said. 'You will not succeed.' The White House's message coincides with a rise in bellicose language from Trump, who in recent days has threatened the use of force not only against immigration activists but also against any protesters who attempt to disrupt the military parade scheduled in Washington on Saturday to celebrate the Army's 250th anniversary. The parade, which Trump has wanted for years and will feature tanks, helicopters and Army parachutists, is shaping up to be a symbolic culmination of a dramatic week in which the president not only prepared for a historic deployment of armed forces against domestic adversaries but openly embraced shows of military force. In a speech at Fort Bragg in North Carolina on Tuesday, the president reveled in the nation's military power as fort leaders showcased several tactical demonstrations. 'Time and again, our enemies have learned that if you dare to threaten the American people, an American soldier will chase you down, crush you and cast you into oblivion,' Trump said. In threatening the use of force against protesters, Trump notably did not distinguish between those committing acts of violence and those peacefully protesting against his policies. Leavitt, during the White House briefing on Wednesday, answered a question on the subject by saying that 'of course' the president supports the right to peacefully protest and declared the inquiry a 'stupid question.' The administration's escalating rhetoric has invited comparison to language used by autocrats in foreign countries, where leaders more frequently deploy their military forces within their own borders. White House officials maintain that the president is showing strength and dominance – and standing up for 'law and order' as Democrats go soft on violent agitators. Trump and his advisers have highlighted footage of looting and cars being set ablaze to justify taking action over local officials' objections. 'President Trump is fulfilling the promise he made to the American people to deport illegal aliens and protect federal law enforcement from violent riots,' said White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson. 'This kind of thing doesn't happen in democracies, and it's becoming a routine part of our politics,' said Steven Levitsky, a professor of government at Harvard University, who has long warned that Trump poses a threat to American democracy. (Federal campaign finance records show that a person named Steven Levitsky who works at Harvard has made small campaign donations to Democratic candidates.) Trump has given himself more flexibility this term to escalate military intervention and to upend democratic norms with fewer constraints. In his first term, military leaders prevented Trump from deploying troops within the United States. This time, he has surrounded himself with loyalists – though he still could face obstacles in the courts. California has sued to block the administration from deploying troops within its borders. Protests over the administration's immigration policies are expanding to more cities, including Philadelphia, Chicago and San Francisco. More are scheduled this weekend as part of a national 'No Kings Day,' with activists scheduling events in opposition to Trump's attempts to test his executive power and, protesters say, defy the courts. Americans are divided in their view on the protesters in Los Angeles and Trump's decision to send the National Guard to respond, according to a new poll from The Washington Post and George Mason University's Schar School. Republicans overwhelmingly favor Trump's National Guard decision, and most Democrats oppose it, according to the survey. Independents skew toward opposing the action, while a majority of Californians also oppose it. Amid protests in Chicago, Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois, the Democratic whip, said it would be 'a serious decision' for Trump to deploy troops across the country. Durbin said he has not spoken with Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker (D) about the possibility of Trump doing so in their state. Durbin said Trump is treating the deployment of National Guard troops 'as this routine decision.' 'It is not routine, using our military force to enforce criminal laws in our country,' he said. This week, Trump warned that any protests against immigration raids in other cities will be 'met with equal or greater force' than that used in Los Angeles. He said those troops would remain in the city 'until there's no danger,' providing only a subjective timeline for their deployment. Trump and California leaders have sparred over whether the troops were ever a necessary response to the protests, which have been confined to several blocks and have included sporadic episodes of violence. He said he 'would certainly' invoke the Insurrection Act, which can be used by presidents to expand the role of the military in responding to domestic incidents, if he viewed it as necessary. The fact that he is even considering it is an ominous sign, several scholars said. 'In a democratic society, citizens don't have to think twice or think three times about peaceful expressions of opposition – that's what life is like in a free society,' Levitsky said. 'In an authoritarian regime, citizens have to think twice about speaking out, because there is risk of government retribution. Maybe you'll be arrested, maybe you'll be investigated, maybe you'll have an IRS audit, maybe you'll have a lawsuit.' The showdown over the military intervention has intensified since Saturday, when Trump deployed the National Guard to California without the permission of California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D), who believed sending troops would escalate the protests. Newsom warned in a speech Tuesday that the deployment marked the onset of a much broader effort by Trump to threaten democracy. 'California may be first, but it clearly will not end here. Other states are next,' Newsom said. 'Democracy is next. Democracy is under assault before our eyes. This moment we have feared has arrived.' Also Tuesday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) announced he was deploying his state's National Guard ahead of planned protests. An Abbott adviser said the decision did not result from Trump's rhetoric. The governor has previously deployed Guard troops ahead of protests, such as during George Floyd demonstrations in 2020. 'This is not a frivolous thing. This is not a political thing,' said Dave Carney, a longtime political adviser to Abbott. 'If this was happening four years ago or eight years ago, he would have done the exact same thing. This is instinctively protecting people.' Carney said he suspects Republican governors will call up National Guard members only if they have 'good intelligence of what's being planned.' In other Republican-run states with recent clashes with ICE – either through protests or Democratic-leaning cities pushing back on enforcement – governors have resisted announcing proactive deployments, despite GOP officials vowing to punish violent agitators. In Atlanta, where authorities used tear gas and made arrests Tuesday as anti-ICE protesters threw fireworks at police, state officials believe local and state law enforcement have been able to manage the demonstrations, according to a person with knowledge of the situation there who spoke on the condition of anonymity to speak freely about plans. Likewise in Nashville, where Department of Homeland Security officials have clashed with the mayor of the heavily Democratic city, large protests have not materialized, and the Republican governor has not announced any military deployment.
Kyodo News
an hour ago
- Kyodo News
Japan PM hopes for progress in U.S. tariff talks, in no rush for deal
KYODO NEWS - 9 minutes ago - 14:37 | All, World, Japan Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Thursday that Japan aims to make progress in ongoing tariff negotiations with the United States but will not sacrifice its national interests to reach a deal quickly. Ishiba made the remarks ahead of a possible meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump on the sidelines of a Group of Seven leaders' summit to be held in Canada from Sunday. Japan's chief tariff negotiator Ryosei Akazawa is expected to hold another round of negotiations with the United States on Friday, setting the stage for the meeting between the leaders. Through rounds of ministerial negotiations, Japan has been urging the United States, its closest ally, to rethink its tariff policy and to explore a deal that can be mutually beneficial. Ishiba has made the case that increased Japanese investment will help create jobs in the United States. "It'd be good to see certain progress made before meeting with the president at the G7. But what matters is a deal that benefits both Japan and the United States," Ishiba told reporters. "We will not prioritize reaching a deal quickly and undermine national interests," he added. Ishiba's remarks came after U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, a key figure in the bilateral tariff talks, said Wednesday the United States could extend its current 90-day pause on the implementation of "reciprocal" tariffs if trading partners engage in negotiations "in good faith." The pause, if not extended, would expire in early July. Trump separately said his administration is prioritizing negotiations with key trading partners like Japan and South Korea, adding that it will send out letters in "about a week and a half to two weeks" to inform them of what their trade deals would look like. Ahead of his planned trip to Canada, Ishiba held talks with leaders from the opposition bloc to share the status of bilateral tariff negotiations and explain how his government is approaching the challenge, the prime minister told reporters. The imposition of higher U.S. tariffs on imported cars, auto parts, steel and aluminum has already caused uncertainty about how Japan's export-driven economy will fare. Japan also faces a reciprocal tariff rate of 24 percent, including the 10 percent baseline duty already in place. Related coverage: Bessent says 90-day tariff pause could be extended for key partners Japan, U.S. eye Ishiba-Trump summit in Canada on G7 margins Japan's top negotiator eyes U.S. trip this week for 6th tariff talks
