U.S. Tariff Notice: Unreasonable to Make Demands That Only Benefit One's Own Interests
This demonstrates the fact that it is unreasonable for Trump to push for high tariffs while only considering his own country's interests.
In April, the United States imposed a baseline tariff of 10% on imports from all countries and regions but suspended the imposition of additional tariffs for 90 days. During this period, the United States had been negotiating with other countries in an attempt to reach tariff agreements.
However, negotiations stalled, and the United States announced a 25% tariff rate on imports from Japan and South Korea, as well as tariffs rates specific to other countries in Asia. Additionally, despite reports of negotiations progressing with the European Union, the United States notified the EU of its plan to impose a tariff rate of 30%.
Furthermore, the United States notified Canada of its intention raise tariffs from 25% to 35%, citing Canada as a major source of synthetic drugs entering the United States. Notifications on tariff rates were sent to 25 major countries and regions, with the implementation date set for Aug. 1. This will be the next deadline for negotiations.
So far, the United States has reached tariff agreements with only two countries — the United Kingdom and Vietnam. Negotiations can only be said to have stalled because the United States is disregarding mutually beneficial relationships.
Countries and regions have made their stances known that they cannot accept the United States' unilateral policy. The U.S. government should take the negotiation situation seriously.
In the first place, the Trump administration's unilateral imposition of high tariffs on trading partners is a clear violation of World Trade Organization agreements. It is important for Japan to further cooperate with other countries, especially those in Europe and Southeast Asia, and to continue to push the U.S. government to revise its high tariff policy.
On Sunday, Trump said, 'They're all changing their ways very, very rapidly,' referring to negotiations with Japan. The U.S. president has repeatedly criticized Japan for its auto and agricultural markets being closed.
The Japanese government is seeking to reach an agreement by Aug. 1. However, some think that this will be difficult due to differences over the revision of automobile tariffs.
The possibility cannot be denied that the high tariffs of 25% will be imposed. The Japanese government needs to seek common ground through persistent negotiations with the United States, on the premise that the free trade system will not be significantly undermined.
Meanwhile, the United States has announced it will impose tariffs of up to 50%, the highest tariff rate among the newly notified countries, on Brazil, with which the United States has a trade surplus.
It appears that Trump was frustrated by such issues as a former Brazilian president, with whom Trump has close relations, being indicted on such charges as an attempted coup. It is only natural that the Brazilian side strongly objected to this as interference in its internal affairs. This is another example of the irrationality of Trump's tariffs.
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, July 15, 2025)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Nikkei Asia
an hour ago
- Nikkei Asia
Chinese solar companies shrink US footprint as Trump cuts incentives
Energy Loss of tax credits 'a huge blow' despite growing demand for renewables An employee at Trina Solar plant in Jiangsu province, China. Trina sold its U.S. solar module facility in Texas to T1 Energy in December 2024. © AP PAK YIU NEW YORK -- Chinese solar companies are retreating from the U.S. as the Trump administration's massive tax-and-spending act ends incentives for projects tied to China. Two leading manufacturers, JA Solar and Trina Solar, have sold panel factories in the past seven months and other Chinese companies are assessing their presence in the world's second-largest energy consumer.
Tokyo Weekender
an hour ago
- Tokyo Weekender
Japanese Government Launches New Office To Deal With Unruly Foreigners
On Tuesday, the Japanese government held an inauguration ceremony for a new office that has been set up to respond to issues such as crime and over-tourism involving foreigners. Headed by Assistant Chief Cabinet Secretary Wataru Sakata, the office will serve as a cross agency 'control tower,' with 78 employees, including officials from the Cabinet Office, the Justice Ministry and other bodies . List of Contents: Japanese Government Concerned About 'Conduct by Some Foreigners' The Rise of the Far-Right Yuriko Koike Warns Against 'Hate Speech' Related Posts Japanese Government Concerned About 'Conduct by Some Foreigners' 'Crimes and disorderly conduct by some foreigners, as well as the inappropriate use of various administrative systems, have created a situation in which the public feels uneasy and cheated,' said Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba at Tuesday's kick-off ceremony. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, meanwhile, claimed that the establishment of the new office was not an election ploy by the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). How to deal with the increasing number of foreigners in Japan has become a key issue ahead of the House of Councillors election this Sunday. The LDP has promised to 'accelerate efforts toward 'zero illegal foreigners.'' As for the Japan Innovation Party, it has pledged to 'accept foreigners for work purposes only if they can contribute to the growth of the Japanese economy.' Image and logo: Wikimedia The Rise of the Far-Right Immigration has become a hot topic mainly due to the rise of far-right parties. Sanseito, in particular, has been gaining traction with its 'Japanese First' slogan. In a recent survey conducted by The Asahi Shimbun , in which respondents were asked to name their preferred party based on certain policies, the LDP led in everything except 'policy on foreign residents.' Sanseito received the most support in that section. Speaking at the FCCJ two weeks ago, Sanseito leader Sohei Kamiya said the Japanese first approach wasn't 'based on xenophobia.' He added, 'We're not intending to exclude foreign workers who are here legally. We just believe cheap foreign labor's not the right way.' The right-wing party is forecast to win seven seats in electoral districts and about eight proportional representation seats. Other parties have made more controversial statements about foreigners during the election campaign. During a stump speech on July 5, Naoki Hyakuta , leader of the minor right-wing opposition Conservative Party of Japan, said that foreign people 'disrespect Japanese culture, ignore the rules, assault Japanese people and steal their belongings.' A day earlier, NHK Party leader Takashi Tachibana described Black people and people of Islamic background as 'scary. ' Yuriko Koike Warns Against 'Hate Speech' Speaking at her regular news briefing on July 11, Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike warned against 'hate speech and tendencies toward exclusion,' when she was asked about issues related to foreigners in Japan ahead of the House of Councillors election. Currently, foreign nationals account for around 3% of the total population in this country. However, the figure did reach a record high of 3.8 million last year. Related Posts NHK Leader Takashi Tachibana Calls Black and Muslim People 'Scary' Sanseito Leader Says 'Japanese First' Approach Is Not Based on Xenophobia Why Japanese Leftists Are Using Melonpan To Mock Sanseito
The Mainichi
2 hours ago
- The Mainichi
Opinion: Ishiba skipping NATO summit exposes gaps in Japan's Europe engagement
By Sayuri Romei and Alice Dell'Era WASHINGTON (Kyodo) -- Since a Japanese prime minister first attended a NATO summit in 2022, Japan has sent its highest-level representative to the event for three consecutive years. Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 was a key catalyst for Tokyo's decision to attend that year, and the 2025 summit in The Hague would have marked the fourth consecutive appearance by a Japanese leader. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba was expected to meet with like-minded NATO partners to deepen cooperation amid the security challenges that link the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific theaters. However, his participation was abruptly canceled, with Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya attending in his place. The decision not to attend personally represents a missed opportunity to strengthen ties with Europe at a time when Japan's strategic thinking is increasingly turning toward this region. Ishiba's glaring absence comes at a sensitive moment for Japan, as it confronts growing Chinese assertiveness while managing a more unpredictable United States. While previous U.S. administrations invested significant diplomatic and political capital in promoting cross-regional cooperation between NATO and its Indo-Pacific Four (IP4) partners, the current Trump administration has shown far less interest in advancing such efforts. In fact, President Donald Trump announced he would not attend a meeting between NATO and the IP4 partners during the summit in The Hague -- a move that likely prompted three of the four Indo-Pacific countries to cancel their leaders' attendance. Trump's emphasis on narrow, transactional negotiations over defense spending within allies' respective regions has broken the momentum for cross-regional cooperation built over the past three years. In this context, Ishiba's decision to skip the summit reflects Tokyo's desire to avoid confrontation with Trump over contentious issues such as defense expenditures and trade. These topics remain especially sensitive given the Japanese government's fragile approval ratings and the upcoming upper house elections in July. Ishiba's absence may have been an effort to preserve strategic flexibility in an increasingly unpredictable environment, but it risks halting the progress that Tokyo is making in advancing defense industrial ties with European NATO partners at a critical juncture. As geopolitical competition intensifies, defense technology innovation and a robust defense industrial base have emerged as indispensable strategic assets. Yet, this is an area where Japan has traditionally lagged, due to the longstanding constraints on its defense industry and heavy reliance on U.S. procurements. The tide, however, appears to be shifting. In its 2022 strategic documents, Tokyo identified reinforcing its defense production and technology base as a national priority. Since 2023, Japan has eased its export controls, allowing the licensed export of domestically produced defense equipment, including lethal systems, to boost competitiveness through economies of scale and access to overseas markets. At the same time, Tokyo seeks to diversify its defense procurement and development partnerships beyond the United States, increasingly turning towards European partners. As Japan carefully balances its security and economic relations with its ally, concerns over U.S. unpredictability have indeed elevated the importance of European partners for Tokyo's foreign and defense policy. Europe now features prominently in Japanese strategic thinking, with Tokyo expanding security cooperation with several European states at the bilateral and multilateral levels, through mechanisms like NATO IP4 and the Global Combat Air Programme (GCAP). GCAP, a new Japan-Italy-U.K. partnership for the development of a sixth-generation fighter jet, has been described as a "new alliance" since the multilayered cooperation between the three governments, militaries, and industries will inevitably strengthen security ties among the three nations. Japan's extensive and asymmetric dependence on U.S. defense collaboration and procurement has long been a source of frustration for Japanese officials and defense companies. According to a defense expert interviewed in July 2024, Tokyo maintains a "painful memory" of its co-development with the U.S. on the F-2 fighter program in the 1980s, which continues to shape Japanese perceptions. U.S. restrictions on the sharing of confidential technical information, coupled with the inability to freely modify procured systems without U.S. approval, have complicated both co-development programs like the F-2 and procurement of F-35s. An expert on Japan's defense industrial policy, also interviewed in July 2024, observed that the U.S. Foreign Military Sales system remains fundamentally "asymmetrical" since "the Japanese government cannot acquire necessary or valuable technological information." This lack of technological freedom creates persistent challenges for Japan's defense autonomy. In reaction to these concerns, Japan is diversifying defense industrial collaboration. Beyond GCAP, Japan is partnering with the U.K. on Joint New Air-to-Air Missiles (JNAAM) and a universal radio frequency sensor technology (JAGUAR), while collaborating with France on mine countermeasures, and trilaterally with France and Germany on railgun technologies. Reflecting this trend, the Financial Times reported on a notable increase in the presence of European defense companies at Japan's 2025 Defense and Security Equipment International (DSEI) expo. Moreover, in November 2024, Japan and the EU issued the "Japan-EU Security and Defence Partnership," their first-ever document outlining concrete cooperation initiatives in maritime security, space, cybersecurity, and hybrid threats. These efforts have gained urgency with Trump's return to the White House, as his administration's transactional approach to alliances raises new uncertainties for all allies. While these initiatives do not indicate a pivot away from the United States, they mark the growing significance of European partners for Japan. According to the Financial Times, Tokyo canceled the annual "two-plus-two" security dialogue scheduled in Washington after the U.S. suddenly asked its ally to boost defense spending to 3.5 percent -- higher than its previous request of 3 percent. Whether the cancellation was due to Washington's latest demand or a simple scheduling conflict, there is no denying that the two allies will need to face some difficult conversations in the coming months. Lack of technological freedom and overreliance on the U.S. for defense technology risk making Japan a captive of its own alliance, as the U.S. president has shown little hesitation in demanding higher purchases of American weapon systems, including offering the new F-47 to Japan as a bargaining chip in tariff negotiations. As Washington increasingly treats arms sales and security guarantees as transactional tools for managing trade imbalances, Japan, like Europe, faces the challenge of balancing U.S. demands while seeking diversification for its security partnerships. Ishiba's absence from this year's NATO summit, while shielding Japan from potentially difficult discussions with Washington in the short term, is therefore a missed opportunity for advancing ties with NATO partners at a critical moment. One of the objectives of the newly established Mission of Japan to NATO is to enhance European understanding of Japan and the Indo-Pacific. Ishiba's decision not to attend following the cancellations by other IP4 leaders may show a lack of leadership in the region, but it also risks sending the signal to Europeans that the Indo-Pacific is, after all, not as important as when former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida used to repeat "Ukraine today may be East Asia tomorrow." Ishiba, who replaced Kishida in October 2024, has yet to visit Europe, despite the fact that relations with European countries have taken on increasing importance in recent years. His personal engagement with European leaders would have signaled Japan's commitment to deepening these strategic partnerships -- a gesture increasingly valuable as both Japan and its European partners navigate the uncertainties of managing their respective alliances in the coming years. (Sayuri Romei is a Washington-based senior fellow in the German Marshall Fund's Indo-Pacific program. Her research focuses on U.S.-Japan relations and security issues in the Indo-Pacific region.)
