According to reports from Japanese media outlets such as the Yomiuri Shimbun on August 7, official U.S. government documents reveal that the new U.S. tariffs on Japanese goods are higher than those previously announced by the Japanese government in the U.S.-Japan trade agreement. Other Japanese media, including Kyodo News, report this will inevitably inflict a more severe blow to the Japanese economy.
File photo of U.S. President Donald Trump
Reports indicate that, according to the Japanese government, the trade agreement reached between the United States and Japan will see the US impose a 15% tariff on goods imported from Japan. Following the implementation of the new tariffs, product categories previously subject to tariffs below 15% will uniformly be taxed at 15%, while tariffs on goods exceeding 15% will remain unchanged. However, a presidential executive order signed by President Trump on July 31st and the official US government document released on August 6th state that US tariffs on Japanese goods will be uniformly increased by 15%. For example, Japanese textiles, previously subject to a 7.5% tariff, will now face a 22.5% tariff; Japanese beef, previously taxed at 26.4%, will now be taxed at 41.4%.
Multiple Japanese media outlets, including Kyodo News and Asahi Shimbun, reported on July 7th that White House officials confirmed in interviews that the actual tariffs imposed on Japanese goods by the U.S. will be implemented according to official documents.
On August 6th (local time), Japanese Minister for Economic Revitalization, Yasutoshi Nishimura, exited the U.S. Department of Commerce after concluding talks with U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo. (Image from Japanese media)
According to Kyodo News, Japan’s decision to forgo a written agreement with the United States, in an effort to expedite a trade deal, has resulted in inconsistencies between the tariff rates cited in official U.S. documents and the terms of the agreement. Some Japanese officials attribute this discrepancy to a “clerical error” on the part of the United States. On May 5th, Japan’s Minister for Economic Revitalization, Yasutoshi Nishimura, traveled to the United States for the ninth round of tariff negotiations. On May 6th, Nishimura told reporters that he had met with U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, requesting clarification and a prompt adjustment of the tariff rates to align with the agreed-upon levels. However, Nishimura did not disclose the U.S. response to Japan’s request.