A few days after the moratorium over the so -called “reciprocal tariffs” imposed by the administration of Donald Trump, Japan has reaffirmed its intention to continue negotiating with the United States to avoid a new commercial shock.
This Monday, the viceportavaz of the Japanese government, Kazuhiko Aoki, confirmed that both nations are committed to maintaining an open diplomatic channel. “Japan and the US are actively negotiating sincerely and seriously,” he said at a press conference, in which he also referred to the recent telephone conversation between Ryosei AkazawaJapanese negotiator in tariff matters, and US secretary of commerce, Howard Lutnick. During that dialogue, Aoki said, “they confirmed the position of each one.”
This contact occurred while Tokyo tries to realize a new round of discussions with Washington, the eighth so far. Japanese media have reported that the meeting could Carry out at the beginning of this week, just before July 9, date on which the temporary pause established by the US expires to facilitate conversations.
The reciprocal tariffs were introduced by the White House on April 2, as a measure of pressure towards commercial partners that it accuses of hindering US exports through unfair barriers. Although its application was temporarily suspended, the threat of reactivating them remains latent.
If he resumed, Japan would face an additional 14 % tariff that would be added to 10 % general already in force on US imports. However, Trump has publicly suggested that rates could rise even more, reaching 30 % or even 35 %, while describing Japan as a “very hard” and “very spoiled” country.
Tokyo seeks to avoid this scenario through A negotiated solution that allows to preserve economic cooperation with its main trading partner without aggravating existing tensions.
