
China to allow resumption of some seafood imports from Japan
China said it will allow the import of some seafood products from Japan to resume, a partial lifting of the blanket ban imposed following Tokyo's release of wastewater from a wrecked Fukushima No. 1 nuclear power plant in 2023.
The decision came after Japan's government promised to ensure the safety and quality of the products exported to China and as independent testing showed no abnormalities, according to a statement from the General Administration of Customs on Sunday. Products from 10 prefectures including Fukushima are still barred, according to the statement.
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Yomiuri Shimbun
2 hours ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Harley-Davidson Japan to Be Fined for Unfair Trade Practices; Company Enriched Itself by Setting Overly High Sales Quotas for Dealers
The Japan Fair Trade Commission has decided to issue a cease and desist order against Harley-Davidson Japan K.K. (HDJ), a Tokyo-based motorcycle sales company, for unfair trade practices in violation of the antimonopoly law, sources report. According to the sources, HDJ unilaterally imposed difficult-to-meet sales quotas on dealers, a practice which was detrimental to them. The JFTC is also expected to issue a surcharge payment order of about ¥200 million. Harley-Davidson is the leading manufacturer of large motorcycles in the United States, with some models costing over ¥5 million. HDJ, its Japanese subsidiary, has an exclusive distribution agreement with about 90 dealers in Japan. The sources say that no later than January 2023, HDJ began saddling dozens of dealers with sales quotas that they could not meet without purchasing new motorcycles from themselves. HDJ also indicated that it would not renew the dealers' exclusive sales contracts if they did not at least partially meet these quotas. The dealers, not wanting their contracts to be terminated, bought new motorcycles in the names of their own executives and employees to drive up their sales numbers. It is believed that the purchased vehicles were registered in the names of the executives and others and resold as 'registered unused vehicles' at discount prices lower than those of new vehicles. Some dealers spent tens of millions of yen a year buying their own motorcycles. The JFTC found that HDJ used its strong position to gain profits for itself at the dealers' expense, and that such practices legally constituted 'abuse of a superior bargaining position.' It has already sent HDJ a plan for measures to be taken and will formally issue the order after hearing HDJ's opinion.


Kyodo News
2 hours ago
- Kyodo News
China lifts ban on Japanese seafood imports imposed in 2023
KYODO NEWS - 5 hours ago - 12:15 | World, All China on Sunday lifted its ban on Japanese seafood imports imposed in August 2023 following the release into the sea of treated radioactive wastewater from the crippled Fukushima nuclear power plant. Beijing introduced the blanket ban in a demonstration of its strong opposition to the ocean discharge. The Asian neighbors agreed to begin procedures to resume Japanese seafood imports in May, but it may take a few months until shipments begin following the completion of procedural steps. The move apparently reflects China's interest in improving ties with Japan at a time when it is engaging in a trade war with the United States. Chinese customs authorities said in a public notice that long-term international monitoring of the water discharge and independent sampling by China "showed no abnormalities." On the premise that the Japanese government is committed to ensuring the quality and safety of seafood exports to China, Beijing has decided to "conditionally resume" imports, the authorities said. However, China will keep restrictions on food imports from 10 Japanese prefectures including Fukushima and Tokyo, which were imposed after the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami that triggered the nuclear disaster. For the resumption of China-bound seafood exports, Japanese facilities that process and preserve marine products must be registered, while the products must pass radiation checks. In September last year, the two governments agreed to gradually resume seafood trade on the condition that third-party countries monitor the water release from the nuclear plant. Following the agreement, China collected marine samples near the Fukushima plant under the framework of the International Atomic Energy Agency.


Japan Times
3 hours ago
- Japan Times
Japan-U.S. trade negotiations deadlocked after months of fruitless talks
Trade negotiations between Japan and the United States remain at an impasse despite months of dialogue and earlier suggestions by Japan that progress was being achieved, with some analysts forecasting a breakthrough only after duties hit the U.S. economy in the fall and force a settlement. Central to the stalemate are tariffs on automobiles. Japan wants them lowered, while the United States has said that the 25% additional duty put into place by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump is not up for discussion. It insists that the main subject of talks now are "reciprocal" tariffs set to kick in on July 9, which, if implemented, would take tariffs on most Japanese goods to 24% from the current 10%. In comments Sunday in the United States, Trump indicated that the United States is dissatisfied with the state of trade with Japan and suggested that there is little interest in retreating from the initial negotiating position. 'I'm going to send letters. That's the end of the trade deal,' Trump said in a Fox News interview. 'I could send one to Japan. 'Dear Mr. Japan, here's the story: You are going to pay a 25% tariff on your cars.' They won't take our cars, and yet we take millions and millions of their cars into the United States. It's not fair. And I explain that to Japan, and they understand it.' Ryosei Akazawa, Japan's chief tariff negotiator, declined to comment on Trump's remarks after returning to Tokyo on Monday afternoon. 'Continuing to face a 25% tariff in this area would cause serious harm and economic losses,' he said in discussing the duties on autos, while dodging questions about Japan's current demands. Trump's remarks were broadcast while Akazawa was in Washington for the seventh time since mid-April to discuss tariffs. He was engaged in the first high-level talks between the two countries since Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Trump met in Canada earlier this month and failed to achieve any tangible results during a 30-minute discussion. Akazawa met with Commerce Secretary Howard Luntick for about 65 minutes on Friday and followed up with two 15-to-20-minute phone calls a day later. A statement by the Japanese government summarizing the discussions did not mention any concrete progress achieved during the talks. Takahide Kiuchi, executive economist at Nomura Research Institute, wrote in a Monday report that public dissatisfaction with the Trump administration is likely to grow if tariffs push up prices, and the United States might be compelled to lower the tariffs as early as this fall. 'Should that happen, ongoing bilateral tariff negotiations — including those with Japan — may effectively dissolve on their own,' Kiuchi wrote, while warning that even if the tariffs were to be lowered, a weaker dollar policy might come next as a new source of pressure for Japan. So far, prices have been relatively stable in the United States, with key inflation indicators running in the 2% range and at or near multiyear lows. 'I think we'll start seeing worse numbers from June onward,' said Masamichi Adachi, UBS Securities' chief economist for Japan. 'I think it's clear the U.S. economy is heading downward. I don't know how bad it will get or how long the weakness will last, but the direction is unmistakable — things are turning worse.' But he is skeptical about the assessment that weakness in the United States will force Trump's hand in tariff negotiations. 'That's only going to happen after the economy worsens or stock prices crash,' Adachi said. 'So I don't share the current optimism in the market — the idea that if we just wait, the U.S. will lower tariffs on its own. I really don't think it's that simple.' Japan is already feeling the effects of U.S. tariffs. Exports to the U.S. declined by 11% year-on-year in May, with automobile exports down 24.7%. In terms of volume, the decline was only 3.9%, indicating that Japanese automakers may have reduced vehicle prices to mitigate the tariff effects. 'The drag on the Japanese economy from the tariff shock will be inevitable not only through the direct impact of lower export volume, but also the indirect burden of lower profits due to lower export prices,' Adachi wrote in a report published on June 20. 'For Japan to get the U.S. to lower auto tariffs, it would need to have something that America really wants — like China's rare metals, for example. But Japan doesn't have that kind of bargaining chip,' Adachi said. 'The best-case scenario right now would be to keep the reciprocal tariff at 10% and avoid it going back up to 24%. That alone would be a win.' Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who was appointed to lead negotiations with Japan, has signaled that extensions to the July 9 deadline to Sept. 1 might be possible.