U.S. tariff rate hits historic level of 25.9%: Japan trade report
TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The effective U.S. tariff rate on all imports rose to as high as 25.9 percent under President Donald Trump, surpassing levels not seen since the protectionist policies of the Great Depression, the Japanese government's annual trade report showed Friday.
The U.S. tariff measures as of early April, including an increase in the levies on China to 145 percent, reached a "historic scale," the Japanese trade ministry said, adding that frequent changes in Trump's trade policy are creating "heightened uncertainty."
According to the ministry, the effective tariff rate -- the actual rate applied to imports -- was 19.8 percent in 1933, after the United States enacted the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act in 1930 to protect American businesses and farmers from foreign competition by significantly raising tariffs on imported goods.
The report by the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry cited data from the International Monetary Fund as a reference. The April rate also reflected new tariffs on the auto sector.
The U.S. effective tariff rate has since declined after Washington and Beijing agreed in May to roll back a significant portion of each other's steep tariffs, marking a de-escalation of their tit-for-tat trade war. Japan's simple average tariff rate stood at 3.7 percent in 2023, according to data from the World Trade Organization.
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