TOKYO – Japan urged the United States not to impose a potential 15 per cent blanket tariff on its goods, seeking assurances that Tokyo’s exports won’t face harsher terms than the 2025 trade deal.
Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Ryosei Akazawa raised the request in a two-hour Washington meeting with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on March 6. The plea follows U.S. Supreme Court rejection of some Trump tariffs in February, prompting a new 10 per cent levy that could climb to 15 per cent and disrupt importers.
Akazawa stressed preserving the 2025 pact’s baseline 15 per cent rate on most Japanese imports,down from 27.5 per cent on cars , to shield key exports from cost hikes. He declined to detail Lutnick’s response.
Talks also covered Japan’s $550 billion investment pledge, including energy, critical minerals, and a Westinghouse nuclear project. This builds on February’s $36 billion initial deals in offshore drilling, natural gas, and synthetic diamonds, ahead of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s March 19 Washington visit.
The U.S. Commerce Department highlighted strengthened ties on X but omitted tariff specifics.