US tariffs go into effect; Japan not exempted

March 23, 2018

Washington- The United States on Friday invoked tariffs to restrict imports of steel and aluminum from Japan and other countries, aiming to combat what Washington claims to be a national security threat.

The United States put into effect additional import tariffs of 25 pct on steel and 10 pct on aluminum at 12:01 a.m. U.S. eastern time (4:01 a.m. GMT) as a measure to counter a threat to national security under Section 232 of the country's 1962 Trade Expansion Act.

While introducing the tariffs basically across the board, President Donald Trump's administration is seen attempting to prod trade partners into ceding ground in exchange for exemptions from the tariffs, whose main target is believed to be China.

US Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer told Congress on Thursday that Japan is not on the initial list of trade partners for which the United States grants exemptions.

Japan, a US ally, has called on Washington to exempt Japanese products from the measure, saying that they do not pose a threat to US national security.

Speaking at a Senate Finance Committee meeting, Lighthizer said Canada, Mexico, the European Union, Australia, Argentina, Brazil and South Korea will be exempted from the tariffs for the time being.

On Wednesday, Lighthizer said that the United States has told Japan it hopes to launch negotiations for a bilateral free trade agreement at an appropriate time.

US President Donald Trump on Thursday voiced his displeasure with the US trade deficit with Japan, saying that the Asian country has long been taking advantage of the United States.

"I'll talk to Prime Minister (Shinzo) Abe of Japan and others--great guy, friend of mine--and there will be a little smile on their face," the president said during a gathering at the White House. "And the smile is, 'I can't believe we've been able to take advantage of the United States for so long.'"

"So those days are over," Trump said, stressing that he will pursue "reciprocal" trade relations.

He made the comments just before the United States invoked tariffs on steel and aluminum imports from Japan and other countries on Friday. Jiji Press