US President Donald Trump’s administration is preparing to impose a 25% levy on steel and aluminum this week as well as a tariff on foreign automobiles from April.

Japan’s US-bound exports amounted to ¥21.3 trillion (US$145 billion) in 2024 – with cars and other vehicles accounting for roughly a third of the total.

Economy, trade and industry minister Yoji Muto met US secretary of commerce Howard Lutnick, US trade representative Jamieson Greer and other officials in Washington yesterday.

“We have requested that the tariff measures announced so far by the US government should not be applied to our country,” Muto told reporters after their talks.

But “the US side explained the importance they place on reviving the manufacturing industry in the US and securing employment”, he said.

“Based on this discussion, we will further discuss closely how we can make the national interests of Japan and the US a win-win situation,” Muto said.

In Tokyo today, chief cabinet secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi also said Japan had not received any assurances from the US side.

“It is our understanding that (Muto) has not secured confirmation that Japan would be excluded from tariff measures,” Hayashi told reporters when asked about the talks.

Japan is home to the world’s top-selling automaker Toyota, and the health of the auto industry impacts many of its industrial sectors, from parts manufacturing to steel and microchips.