Japan Insists on Full Review of U.S. Tariffs in Trade Talks

If the United States wants to negotiate with Japan on trade, it must review all existing tariffs as a precondition, Tokyo's tariff envoy said after his return from a second round of negotiations in Washington.

Japan, a key U.S. ally and its largest investor, is subject to the same 10 percent base tariffs as most countries, plus higher tariffs on automobiles, steel and aluminum, even after President Donald Trump in early April announced and then suspended for 90 days a 24 percent tariff on Japanese and other exports, CE Report quotes Kosova Press.

Envoy Ryosei Akazawa, upon his return to Tokyo, told reporters that both sides had "made progress" towards an agreement, but stressed that Tokyo insisted that all tariffs be reviewed.

"We told them that the entire set of tariffs - including those on cars, spare parts, steel and aluminum, as well as reciprocal taxes - are deplorable and we strongly insisted that they be reviewed," Akazawa said.

"If this request is not included in a final package, we will never be able to reach an agreement," he added, according to the BBC.

Automobiles accounted for about 28% of Japan's exports to the U.S. in 2024. This morning, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba also reiterated to reporters that "Japan and the United States remain at odds and still cannot find common ground." Also today, the Trump administration imposed a new 25 percent tariff on imports of auto parts, including engines and transmissions, a move that Ishiba called "regrettable."