Japan has sought formal assurances from Washington that Tokyo will not be disadvantaged by the United States' new, broad tariff measures, its trade minister said following talks in Washington on Friday.
Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Ryosei Akazawa said he raised the issue directly during a two-hour meeting with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. Akazawa spoke to reporters after the discussion and emphasized Tokyo's request that any newly imposed blanket levy not be applied to Japanese goods in a way that would leave Japan worse off than under previously negotiated arrangements.
The U.S. introduced a 10% blanket tariff after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down parts of key tariff policy in February. That 10% rate could be raised to 15%, creating fresh uncertainty about the trade arrangements agreed last year and prompting questions about the levies importers now face.
Akazawa said both governments reaffirmed their commitment to last year’s trade deal, which established a baseline 15% tariff on almost all Japanese imports. That baseline was set below earlier proposed rates, including a 27.5% level for autos and an initially threatened 25% on most other goods.
"We requested that Japan’s treatment under the new tariff rules would not become less favorable than what was agreed last year," Akazawa said, adding that the U.S. blanket levy could otherwise raise costs for certain Japanese export items. He declined to disclose how the U.S. side responded to that specific request.
Beyond tariffs, Akazawa said he and Lutnick reviewed elements of Japan’s $550-billion investment pledge to the United States. They discussed a range of projects envisioned under that commitment as well as cooperation on energy and critical minerals - topics that are expected to be on the agenda ahead of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s visit to Washington on March 19.
Officials are working to include a nuclear power project involving Westinghouse in the second round of deals under the investment commitments Tokyo made as part of the tariff agreement. In the first round, announced last month, three projects valued at a combined $36 billion were unveiled, covering offshore drilling, natural gas production and synthetic diamonds.
The U.S. Commerce Department posted on X that Lutnick and Akazawa met to discuss strengthening economic ties following last month’s investment agreement. The department's post made no reference to tariff treatment.
Key developments in the meeting included Japan’s formal request that its agreed tariff terms be preserved, the reaffirmation of last year’s trade accord between the two governments, and continued discussions on high-value investment projects and energy cooperation in advance of a prime ministerial visit to Washington.