THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
February 20, 2025 at 13:09 JST
Yoji Muto, minister of economy, trade and industry (Asahi Shimbun file photo)
Trade minister Yoji Muto will likely visit the United States in March to press the Trump administration to exempt Japan from planned tariffs on steel and automobiles, government sources said.
Muto is expected to meet with Howard Lutnick, who has been confirmed as commerce secretary by the Senate, and other administration officials, the sources said.
Trump said Feb. 18 that Washington plans to impose around 25 percent tariffs on automobiles and pharmaceuticals, following those planned on steel and aluminum products.
Automotive products account for 28.3 percent of Japan’s exports to the United States by value, representing the largest share. If they are slapped with prohibitive tariffs, Japan’s economy will be dealt a serious blow.
During his first presidency, Trump also complained about the U.S. trade deficit with Japan and threatened to raise tariffs on Japanese vehicles.
Tokyo eventually agreed to lower its tariffs on farm imports from the United States.
Muto is expected to emphasize Japan’s economic contributions, such as Japanese corporate investments in the United States, and call on Washington not to apply planned tariffs to Japanese products, the sources said.
At a Feb. 7 summit with Trump held in Washington, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba agreed that Japan would import more liquefied natural gas from the United States.
Muto is expected to follow up on the issue during his meetings with Energy Secretary Chris Wright and other administration officials, the sources said.
Nippon Steel Corp.’s bid to acquire U.S. Steel, a storied American steelmaker, will also likely come up for discussions.
Trump’s predecessor, Joe Biden, blocked the deal, citing national security concerns.
After the summit with Ishiba, Trump indicated that he will not approve Nippon Steel’s purchase of a majority of shares in U.S. Steel.
The Japanese government plans to send Muto before March 12, when the 25 percent tariffs on steel and aluminum products take effect.
However, Muto’s visit may be pushed back because it remains unclear when the government’s draft budget for fiscal 2025 will pass the Lower House, the sources said.
(This article was written by Aki Fukuyama and Shino Matsuyama.)
Japan braces for pressure on trade, security from Trump 2.0
November 7, 2024
U.S. will open talks with Japan on import steel, aluminum tariffs
November 13, 2021
EDITORIAL: U.S. stance on Japanese steel simply arrogant, self-righteous
February 17, 2022
Trump’s return has officials in Japan preparing for the worst
January 21, 2025
A peek through the music industry’s curtain at the producers who harnessed social media to help their idols go global.
A series based on diplomatic documents declassified by Japan’s Foreign Ministry
Here is a collection of first-hand accounts by “hibakusha” atomic bomb survivors.
Cooking experts, chefs and others involved in the field of food introduce their special recipes intertwined with their paths in life.
A series about Japanese-Americans and their memories of World War II
