Bessent says 90-day tariff pause could be extended for key partners
WASHINGTON (Kyodo) -- The United States could extend a 90-day pause on the implementation of steep tariffs on goods from its major trading partners if they continue to negotiate "in good faith," U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Wednesday.
"It is highly likely that those countries -- or trading blocs as is the case with the EU -- who are negotiating in good faith, we will roll the date forward to continue the good-faith negotiations," Bessent said during a congressional hearing. "If someone is not negotiating, then we will not."
Bessent made the remarks when asked about the upcoming end of the pause in early July, while reiterating that President Donald Trump's administration has been in talks with 18 important trading partners toward deals.
Japan is one such partner that has been negotiating with the Trump administration at a fast pace, given that Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and Trump are slated to hold a one-on-one meeting in less than a week when they attend a Group of Seven summit in Canada.
Japan's chief tariff negotiator Ryosei Akazawa is due to hold his sixth round of talks with U.S. Cabinet members on Friday in a last-ditch effort to find common ground before the G7 summit. It will be Akazawa's fourth straight week visiting Washington.
So far, Trump, who unveiled his so-called reciprocal tariffs on April 2, has ruled out extending the pause beyond 90 days.
During this window for negotiations, the Trump administration has been particularly focused on clinching trade deals with Japan and other major trading partners, including India, South Korea and the European Union.
The pause, which runs until July 8, only applies to country-specific tariffs under his reciprocal scheme. 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.
Ishiba and Akazawa have repeatedly said they will not rush into a deal with the United States at the expense of Japan's national interest.
The two have urged the Trump administration to remove all of its additional tariffs on Japanese imports. But they have also suggested the need to reach some agreement with the administration as quickly as possible to prevent the measures from further impacting the Japanese economy.
It remains unclear if the latest remarks from Bessent, a key figure in Trump's tariff negotiations, will change the pace of the ongoing talks with Japan and some other trading partners.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yomiuri Shimbun
an hour ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Nationwide Protests against Immigration Raids Escalate, Leading to Arrests and Curfews
The Associated Press Demonstrators hold signs during a protest, Thursday, June 12, 2025, in Los Angeles. AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Protests over federal immigration enforcement raids are flaring up around the country as officials in cities from coast to coast get ready for major demonstrations against President Donald Trump over the weekend. While many demonstrations against Immigration and Customs Enforcement have been peaceful, others led to clashes with police who sometimes used chemical irritants to disperse crowds. Hundreds have been arrested. Trump has ordered the deployment of roughly 4,000 National Guard troops and 700 Marines to Los Angeles following protests over his stepped-up enforcement of immigration laws. But a federal judge issued a temporary restraining order Thursday directing Trump to return control of the National Guard to California. The order, which comes into effect at noon Friday, said Trump's deployment of the Guard was illegal and violated both the Tenth Amendment and exceeded his statutory authority. Volatile protests prompted officials to enforce curfews in Los Angeles and Spokane. Republican governors in Texas and Missouri mobilized National Guard troops to be ready to help law enforcement manage demonstrations in those states. Activists are planning 'No Kings' events across the country on Saturday to coincide with Trump's planned military parade in Washington, D.C. Those were already scheduled but will happen amid the week's rising tensions. The Trump administration said immigration raids and deportations will continue. A look at some recent protests and reactions across the country: Las Vegas Police said 94 people were arrested on 'various criminal and traffic' charges, and four officers were injured in a Wednesday night protest. Some in the estimated crowd of about 800 threw bottles and rocks at officers, police said. A crowd gathered near the city's federal courthouse and blocked several streets before police declared an unlawful assembly. Local media reported that tear gas, flash-bang grenades and rubber bullets were used to disperse the protesters. Chicago Hundreds of demonstrators packed a park plaza near Lake Michigan on Thursday. Veronica Castro, an organizer with the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, urged people to learn how to protect themselves and elected officials to speak out. The group later marched along the city's iconic Michigan Avenue. They were flanked by their own security marshals and Chicago police officers on bicycles and in slow-moving patrol cars. Seattle Hundreds of protesters marched through downtown Seattle Wednesday evening to a federal building where immigration cases are heard. Some of them set a dumpster on fire. The building was covered in graffiti, with 'Abolish ICE Now' written in large letters across its front window. Dozens of officers squared off with protesters near the building, some shooting pepper spray. Some protesters threw fireworks and rocks at officers, police said. Spokane, Washington Mayor Lisa Brown imposed an overnight curfew in downtown Spokane after a protest Wednesday outside an ICE office that ended with more than 30 arrests and police firing pepper balls at the crowd. Brown said the majority of protesters were peaceful. 'We respect their right to peacefully protest and to be upset about federal policies,' she said. 'I have been that person who has protested federal policies and that is a right we have.' San Antonio Several hundred protesters marched through downtown San Antonio and near the historic Alamo mission. Although Texas National Guard troops were seen in the area, the demonstration was mostly peaceful. The Alamo building and plaza, among the state's most popular tourist attractions, was closed to the public. Police guarded the property as the crowd marched nearby. Tucson, Arizona A protest Wednesday outside an ICE office in Tucson, Arizona, turned into a clash between masked security officers and demonstrators who blocked a roadway, threw balloons filled with paint and spray painted anti-ICE graffiti on the gates and walls of the facility. Video clips showed a security officer who was hit with a water bottle. Masked protesters held makeshift shields as they inched toward the security team, and a team member set off what appeared to be a flash-bang device. Anchorage, Alaska A small group of demonstrators held their fourth straight day of protests Thursday outside the Anchorage Correctional Complex, where ICE has detained nearly 40 people. Using a bullhorn aimed at the front doors of the facility, demonstrator Courtney Moore declared, 'ICE out of Anchorage, ICE out of Alaska.' Betsy Holley, a spokesperson with the Alaska Department of Corrections, said 39 people were in ICE custody of ICE at the Anchorage jail. The department said its facilities will be on lockdown through the weekend as a 'proactive response to calls for grassroots protests across the state.' 'No Kings' This week's protests are leading into the scheduled 'No Kings' demonstrations that organizers say are planned in nearly 2,000 locations around the country, according to the movement's website. Organizers plan a flagship march and rally in Philadelphia, but no protests are scheduled to take place in Washington, D.C., where the military parade will be held. In Florida, state Attorney General James Uthmeier warned that any 'No Kings' protesters who become violent will be dealt with harshly. In a message sent Thursday, a Justice Department official told U.S. attorneys across the country to prioritize cases against protesters who engage in violence and destruction. The email cites several potential federal charges, including assault, civil disorder and damage of government property. Governors and the Guard Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe mobilized National Guard troops in their states ahead of the weekend demonstrations. Abbott said more than 5,000 Guard troops and more than 2,000 state police would be ready to help local law enforcement if needed. Several 'No Kings' rallies are planned in Texas, and there were brief clashes between protesters and police in Austin and Dallas this week. Kehoe called his decision a 'precautionary measure' and did not provide specific troop levels or duties. California Gov. Gavin Newsom has publicly sparred with Trump over the president's decision to send National Guard troops and Marines to Los Angeles, where volatile demonstrations have mostly been contained to a five-block section of downtown. All 22 other Democratic governors signed a statement backing Newsom, calling the deployment 'an alarming abuse of power.'
Yomiuri Shimbun
an hour ago
- Yomiuri Shimbun
Trump Says U.S. Has a 'golden Share' in US Steel
Reuters The Nippon Steel logo is displayed at the company's East Nippon Works Kimitsu Area plant in Kimitsu, east of Tokyo on May 26. WASHINGTON (Reuters) — U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday said the United States has a 'golden share' in U.S. Steel X.N, as part of a deal for Nippon Steel 5401.T to buy the iconic American company. It was not immediately clear what structural element of the deal Trump was referring to, but he said the share meant that Americans would have a 51% ownership in the American steelmaker. We have a golden share, which I control, the President controls, he told reporters at the White House. 'If that gives you total control, it's 51% ownership by Americans,' he added. Nippon Steel and U.S. Steel did not immediately respond to requests for comment. At a rally in Pennsylvania on May 30, Trump lauded an agreement between the companies and said Nippon Steel would make a 'great partner' for U.S. Steel. But he later told reporters the deal still lacked his final approval, leaving unresolved whether he would allow Nippon Steel to take ownership.
Japan Today
an hour ago
- Japan Today
Judge temporarily bars Trump from deploying National Guard troops in Los Angeles
Law enforcement officers guard Los Angeles City Hall during a protest against federal immigration sweeps, in Los Angeles, California, U.S. June 12, 2025. REUTERS/David Ryder By Brad Brooks and Luc Cohen A U.S. judge on Thursday temporarily barred President Donald Trump from deploying National Guard troops in Los Angeles, finding that the Guard was unlawfully mobilized by Trump. Judge Charles Breyer ordered the National Guard to return to the control of California Governor Gavin Newsom, who sued to restrict its activity. Breyer's order will take effect at noon on Friday. "The Court is troubled by the implication inherent in Defendants' argument that protest against the federal government, a core civil liberty protected by the First Amendment, can justify a finding of rebellion," Breyer wrote. The Trump administration immediately appealed the judge's order. Trump summoned military troops to Los Angeles to support a civilian police operation over the objection of Newsom, an extraordinary and rarely used measure. The ruling came hours after Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem pledged to "liberate" Los Angeles at a press conference that was dramatically interrupted when federal agents dragged Democratic U.S. Senator Alex Padilla out of the room, forced him to the ground and handcuffed him. The court battle and press conference scuffle underscored the political polarization generated by Trump's approach to immigration enforcement and use of presidential power. Trump summoned first the National Guard, then the Marines, to help federal police forces guard federal buildings from protesters and to protect federal immigration agents as they pick up suspected violators. Trump has defended his decision, saying if he had not done so the city would be in flames. The protests so far have been mostly peaceful, punctuated by incidents of violence and restricted to a few city blocks. Some 700 U.S. Marines will be on the streets of the city by Thursday or Friday, the military has said, to support up to 4,000 National Guard troops. © Thomson Reuters 2025.
