TOKYO: Japan has sought assurances from the US 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 Friday (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. Akazawa briefed reporters after the meeting.
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 last year and the tariff rates importers now face.
Akazawa said both governments reaffirmed their commitment to last year's 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 last year," Akazawa said, noting that Trump's new blanket levy could otherwise raise costs for certain Japanese export items.
He declined to say how the US side responded.
Akazawa added that he and Lutnick also discussed a series of projects under Japan's US$550-billion US investment pledge, as well as cooperation on energy and critical minerals, ahead of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's visit to Washington on March 19.
Reuters has previously reported that Japan and the United States are working to include a nuclear power project involving Westinghouse in the second round of deals under the investment commitments Tokyo made as part of a US tariff agreement.
Last month, they announced the first round of three projects worth a combined US$36 billion, covering offshore drilling, natural gas production and synthetic diamonds.
The US Commerce Department said on X that Lutnick and Akazawa met for talks on strengthening economic ties following last month's investment agreement, with no mention of tariff treatment. - Reuters
