Japan asks US for steel, aluminum tariff exemption
Japan has asked the United States for an exemption from 25 pct tariffs on steel and aluminum imports levied by the administration of President Donald Trump, Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi said Wednesday.
The request was sent via the Japanese Embassy in Washington on Tuesday local time, Hayashi said at a press conference. "We will firmly take necessary steps while fully scrutinizing the measures and their impact on our country," Hayashi said of the US tariffs.
Japanese industry minister Yoji Muto told a press conference that he would closely watch the impact of US tariffs on Japanese companies. "The US government's wide-ranging trade restriction measures could have a big impact on the multilateral trading system based on World Trade Organization rules and the global economy," Muto said. Japanese agriculture minister Taku Eto said that he does not believe that Trump's reciprocal tariffs would have any effect. He said he will closely watch how the United States will act.
[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
Photo by Reuters
