Economy

U.S. Commerce Secretary Says Japan Not Exempt from U.S. Auto Tariffs; Japan’s Auto Industry to Be Significantly Impacted

AP
U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, second from left, walks to board Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington on Friday.

By Hiroyuki Tanaka / Yomiuri Shimbun Correspondent

14:32 JST, March 15, 2025

WASHINGTON — U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick on Friday expressed Washington’s intention to not exclude Japan from the additional tariffs on automobiles that U.S. President Donald Trump has announced.

“If you’re going to tariff cars from anywhere, it’s got to be tariffing cars from everywhere,” Lutnick said during an interview with Fox Business.

He said the move was “fair,” adding, “That’s the whole point.”

When asked whether the planned automobile tariffs will be imposed on countries such as Japan, South Korea and Germany, Lutnick expressed the view that all the countries and regions exporting automobiles to the United States would be subject to the tariffs.

He also said Japan must not have “an unfair advantage” over South Korea, Germany or anywhere else.

The U.S. commerce chief stressed that the automobile sector is an important industry that forms the backbone of U.S. manufacturing. He said the Trump administration has placed particular importance on industries such as steel, aluminum and semiconductors, as well as automobiles, from the standpoint of national security.

Trump has announced plans to impose tariffs of about 25% on imported automobiles from April 2.

Currently, the United States levies a tariff of 2.5% on passenger cars, so the tariff rate would be increased by about 10 times. According to the Finance Ministry’s trade statistics, Japan’s automobile exports to the United States totaled ¥6.0261 trillion, accounting for about 30% of all exports to the country. Japan’s auto industry would therefore be significantly impacted as a result of additional tariffs on automobiles.

On Monday, Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Yoji Muto said he held a series of meetings in Washington with Trump administration officials, including Lutnick, and asked for Japan to be excluded from the planned automobile tariffs. However, he could not obtain a tariff exemption from the United States.