Japan asked US not to disadvantage Tokyo under new tariff rules

Japan has asked the US to ensure Tokyo isn't disadvantaged by new tariff rules, following concerns over a potential 15% levy. Read more at straitstimes.com.

TOKYO – Japan has sought assurances from the United States that Tokyo will not be put at a disadvantage under Washington’s latest tariff measures, urging that a potential 15 per cent tariff not be applied to Japanese goods, its trade minister said on March 6.

Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Ryosei Akazawa said he made the request during a two-hour meeting in Washington with US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.

After the US Supreme Court knocked down some of President Donald Trump’s key tariffs in February, the US imposed a new 10 per cent blanket levy that could rise to 15 per cent, generating new global uncertainty about the trade deals struck in 2025 and the tariff rates importers now face.

Mr Akazawa said both governments reaffirmed their commitment to the 2025 trade deal, which formalised a baseline 15 per cent tariff on nearly all Japanese imports, down from 27.5 per cent on autos and initially threatened 25 per cent on most other goods.

“We requested that Japan’s treatment under the new tariff rules would not become less favourable than what was agreed (in 2025),” Mr Akazawa said, noting that Mr Trump’s new blanket levy could otherwise raise costs for certain Japanese export items.

He declined to say how the US side responded.