TOKYO: Japan will set up around 1,000 “consultation centres” for businesses hit by US tariffs, Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said Tuesday as he vowed to keep pushing to secure an exemption from the levies.
Tokyo is one of Washington’s closest economic and strategic allies, with its firms the biggest investors in the United States and around one in 10 Japanese jobs tied to the auto sector.
Trump said he will announce on Wednesday which tariffs will be imposed on which countries, warning that all trading partners are in the firing line.
He has also said April 3 will see 25 percent duties imposed on all autos not made in the United States.
Ishiba was tight-lipped Tuesday about imposing retaliatory tariffs on US imports but said he will discuss “details on responsive measures” with his ruling coalition.
For now, aside from opening the 1,000 consultation decks, he said “we will do everything we can” to help small and mid-sized businesses procure funds after the US tariffs are activated.
“Japan is the biggest investor for the United States. With this in mind, we will continue to strongly call for Japan’s exemption,“ he told a news conference.
“If it’s deemed necessary for me to pay a visit to the (United States) myself, then I won’t hesitate to do so.”
On Friday, the prime minister said Trump’s views on tariffs were “difficult to understand” after the 25 percent duties on cars and parts were announced.
“What President Trump is saying is that there are both friends and foes and friends can be more difficult. This is very difficult to understand,“ Ishiba said during a legislative committee session.
