TOKYO: Japan’s top tariff negotiator Ryosei Akazawa said he planned to visit Washington from today to press the US to have President Donald Trump sign an executive order to bring an agreed 15% tariff rate on automobiles into effect.
The US last month agreed in a trade deal with Japan to lower existing tariffs on Japanese automobile imports to 15% from levies totaling 27.5% previously.
Duties that were due to come into effect on other Japanese goods will also be cut to 15% from 25%.
“We will push the US to make sure that an executive order is signed on the agreed tariff on automobiles and automotive components as soon as possible,” Akazawa told parliament.
Referring to the problem of “stacking”, where goods can be affected by multiple tariffs, Akazawa also said Japan wants to make sure that goods that are already levied at more than 15% would be exempt from the additional 15% rate.