(April 10): Japan will continue to urge the US to rethink its tariff plans in hopes of winning a longer-term reprieve, even after US President Donald Trump put a portion of the duties on hold, the nation’s top trade representative said. 

“We understand that the tariffs on aluminium, steel and automobiles remain in place, and our position is unchanged,” said Ryosei Akazawa, who was this week appointed the country’s top negotiator on the US levies. “We continue to express our strong concerns and strongly request that they be reviewed.”

Asked to confirm a media report that he will visit Washington next week, Akazawa said he hadn’t yet set specific dates for the trip.

Some thirteen hours after he imposed a broad set of so-called reciprocal tariffs on US trading partners, Trump announced a 90-day pause to remove higher across-the-board levies on goods imported to the US from Japan and many other countries for now, while leaving a baseline 10% duty in place. Japan had faced a 24% duty. 

The temporary retreat came after Trump’s barrage of tariffs spooked investors, triggering market ructions, and prompting government officials around the world to convene meetings aimed at calming nerves.

Tokyo is expected to be among nations taking priority in trade negotiations with Washington. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he would be speaking to officials from Japan, Vietnam, India and South Korea in the coming days. 

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba on Thursday held a phone call with his UK counterpart Keir Starmer in which they discussed economic issues, including the impact of tariffs on the global economy and the multilateral free-trade system, according to Japan’s Foreign Ministry. 

Japan still faces a 25% tariff on cars, auto parts, steel and aluminium, while other goods remain subject to the 10% flat tax rate applied to all nations. Japanese officials are concerned that the tariffs, especially on autos, pose a grave threat to the nation’s economy. 

The tariffs would put significant downward pressure on Japan’s exports, production and investment, particularly in the auto industry, according to a government economic advisory panel that includes private-sector members.

Finance Minister Katsunobu Kato said on Thursday he will do his utmost to offset the impact of the tariffs by introducing economic measures. He added that he would continue to pay close attention to the effect US trade policy is having on financial markets. 

Uploaded by Tham Yek Lee