Japan Says New U.S. Tariffs "Regrettable"

Tokyo, July 24 (Jiji Press)--Japan's Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara said Friday that it was "regrettable" that U.S. President Donald Trump's administration introduced a new tariff rate of 12.5 pct on imports from Japan.

The new tariffs, imposed at rates of up to 12.5 pct on imports from 60 countries and regions, replaced the temporary 10 pct tariffs on a wide range of items based on Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974 that expired Friday. Japanese exports to the United States are subject to a total tariff of 12.5 pct, including existing levies.

As the rationale for the latest action, the U.S. administration cited Section 301 of the trade act, which allows the introduction of measures to address unfair foreign trade practices, claiming that import restrictions on goods produced by forced labor are insufficient.

At the day's press conference, Kihara, Japan's top government spokesman, said, "Japan's industrial and trade practices comply with international rules."

"The agreement between Japan and the United States reached last year (through negotiations over U.S. tariffs) remains unchanged," Kihara added. "We have already confirmed that no additional tariffs beyond the agreement will be imposed by the United States."

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]