a day ago
Japan wary of Trump's rice push with auto tariffs still up in the air
The Japanese government has been releasing its rice stockpiles to bring down prices ahead of an upper house election later this month, but the idea of increasing rice imports is unlikely to go down well with rural voters. © Reuters
YURIKA YONEDA and MITSURU OBE
TOKYO -- Japan on Wednesday insisted "it won't sacrifice the farm sector" in response to U.S. President Donald Trump's accusations about restrictions on access to the Japanese rice market.
It means that a tariff of 341 yen ($2.4) per kilogram of rice will remain in place for now, a rate that has been in place since Japan opened its market in 1999 and allowed importers to bring in rice as long as they pay a 341-yen tariff per kilo.
