Japanese Prime Minister Shigero Ishiba said on Tuesday that he is trying to exclude Japan from an increase in customs tariffs to cars, which will take effect on Wednesday.
Ishiba told reporters that he is willing to fly to the US to negotiate directly with US President Donald Trump.
“I don’t mind going to Washington if necessary,” he said.
“Japan explained to the US that it is the main investor in the country and asked to be excluded from taxes”reiterated the prime minister at a press conference.
The US will start charging 25% tariffs on car imports on Thursday. Tariffs should be widened to car parts in the coming weeks.
Trump announces 25% rates on all cars manufactured outside the US
Japan was unable to obtain any exemption despite the status of the largest US ally in Asia.
Tariffs are a concern for Japan and large car manufacturers like Toyota Motor Corp. and Honda Motor CO, whose exports to the United States are a great driver of the Japanese economy.
A quarterly poll from Banco do Japan, released on Tuesday, showed that business sentiment among major manufacturers worsened in the last quarter for the first time in a year.
Ishiba said the Ministries of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Finance, They are working “day and night” to negotiate with US counterparts to solve the problem.
“When the overview comes and judges that it is appropriate to go, I will do so without hesitation,” said the prime minister, in reference to a possible trip to Washington.
If tariffs are imposed, Ishiba said the government will do whatever it is necessary to minimize the impact on Japanese industries and jobs.
As short -term measures, The government plans to create a thousand consultation sites across the country to respond to the concerns of small and medium manufacturers of car parts and other manufacturers that would be affected by increased US tariffs.
In case of damage to real companies, the government will do their best to support entrepreneurs with financial difficulties, said Ishiba.
The prime minister admitted to imposing fees on retaliation, but stressed that he first would have to discuss “details of corrective measures” with the government coalition.
On Sunday, Japan, South Korea and China announced that they intend to reinforce cooperation and provide a “predictable environment” to companies and accelerate negotiations on a free trade agreement that responds to the uncertainties caused by the US.
Discussions about this agreement began in 2013 and continued until 2019, when they stagnated, and was relaunched in 2024.
The tripartite meeting appears a few days before the imposition, As of April 2of customs of customs of 25% on imported cars for the United States.
Source: https://observador.pt/2025/04/01/primeiro-ministro-do-japao-diz-que-vai-negociar-com-eua-isencao-de-tarifas-no-setor-automovel/
