Trump Again Slams Japan for Auto Trade Imbalance, Refuses Tariff Concessions

Jun 30, 2025 | News On Japan

WASHINGTON DC, Jun 30, 2025 (News On Japan) - U.S. President Donald Trump has once again voiced strong dissatisfaction with Japan over automobile tariffs, a key issue in ongoing trade talks between the two countries, criticizing Japan for not importing American cars and calling the situation unfair.

On a FOX News interview aired on June 29th, Trump said, "Dear Japan, we are going to impose a 25% tariff on your cars. We don’t export cars to Japan, but we import millions of Japanese cars. It’s unfair."

Reiterating his criticism of the trade imbalance in the automobile sector, Trump emphasized that he had explained the unfairness to the Japanese side and claimed that "they understand." He also signaled that he would not agree to Japan's request to reduce the current 25% tariff on imported cars.

In the bilateral tariff negotiations, Minister Akazawa visited Washington from June 26th to 28th for talks with U.S. Commerce Secretary Ratnick. However, efforts to arrange a meeting with Treasury Secretary Bessent, who oversees the negotiations, faced difficulty. Although Akazawa extended his stay in an attempt to meet with Bessent, no agreement could be reached, and he is scheduled to return to Japan this afternoon without having held the meeting.

Source: TBS

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