Japan Asks to be Exempted from U.S. Aluminum, Steel Tariffs; Ishiba Says He Did Not Discuss the Matter with Trump during Summit Meeting

The Yomiuri Shimbun

21:00 JST, February 12, 2025

The Japanese government on Wednesday asked the United States, which has announced that it will impose 25% tariffs on steel and aluminum products, to exempt Japan from those duties.

U.S. President Donald Trump recently signed executive orders raising the tariff rate on steel and aluminum imports to 25%.

Japan intends to closely monitor the Trump administration’s actions, while assessing the potential impact of the tariffs on the domestic market.

“We will take necessary measures, such as urging the United States to exempt Japan from the tariffs, while carefully examining the details of these [U.S.] rules and their impact on our country,” Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said at the House of Councillors’ plenary session Wednesday.

As to whether tariffs on Japan were on the agenda at his summit meeting with Trump in Washington on Saturday (Friday local time), he explained that they did not discuss this issue, as it had not been officially announced at the time.

According to Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, Tokyo made a request to Washington for an exemption from the tariffs through the Japanese Embassy in the United States on Wednesday (Tuesday local time).

Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Yoji Muto expressed concern about this issue at a press conference Wednesday, saying, “Broad-based trade restrictions could have a major impact on the global economy and the entire multilateral trade regime based on World Trade Organization rules.”

He noted that, if Japan is made subject to these tariffs, any damages incurred by Japanese companies whose contracts with American firms are broken as a result will be covered by Nippon Export and Investment Insurance (NEXI).

Trump originally imposed tariffs on imported steel and aluminum products under section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962 during his first administration. The new tariffs are due to take effect on March 12.

Exceptions that until now have been applied to products from Japan and certain other countries and regions, such as duty-free access, will be eliminated.