Sankei wrote that United States Trade Representative Katherine Tai held separate online meetings with Foreign Minister Motegi and Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Kajiyama on Tuesday. The paper wrote that according to the Office of USTR, Ambassador Tai and the Japanese ministers shared concerns about the unfair trading practices of non-market economies such as China and discussed WTO reform and….Read more

  By Yutaka Nakamura, Taipei correspondent   Taiwan is loudly protesting a total import ban on Taiwanese pineapples imposed by China in March. Taiwan claims that the Chinese accusation that the fruit is infested with pests is “an unjustified complaint to exert political pressure.” The Taiwanese government quickly took a position that Taiwan is “not bending under Chinese pressure.” An….Read more

Tokyo, March 20 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government said Friday that the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership is expected to increase the country’s real gross domestic product by 2.7 pct.     The free trade agreement, signed last November by Japan and 14 other countries, including China, South Korea and the 10 members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, is seen invigorating….Read more

All national papers took up a GOJ announcement yesterday that it will hike import duties on U.S. beef from the present 25.8% to 38.5% for 30 days beginning on Thursday in response to a surge in shipments over the past 11 months. Sankei said the two governments are expected to hold talks in the near future on the conditions that….Read more

Tokyo, March 17 (Jiji Press)–Japan logged a customs-cleared trade surplus of 217.4 billion yen for February, down 80.5 pct from a year before, the Ministry of Finance said Wednesday.   The result fell short of the median forecast of 370 billion yen in a Jiji Press poll of 19 research institutes.   Exports sagged 4.5 pct to 6,038 billion yen,….Read more

The Japanese government is expected to impose safeguard measures on U.S. beef on March 18. This will be the first time in three years and seven months for such measures to be invoked. Tariffs on U.S. beef will be raised from the current rate of 25.8% to 38.5%, as the import volume in fiscal 2020 topped the threshold figure. The….Read more

Tokyo, March 17 (Jiji Press)–Japan’s exports in February declined 4.5 pct from a year earlier to 6,038.0 billion yen, down for the first time in three months, a preliminary Ministry of Finance report showed on Wednesday.   The fall stemmed from a decrease in automobile shipments to the United States, which was apparently caused by stagnant sales triggered by a….Read more

All national dailies wrote that in accordance with the U.S.-Japan trade accord that went into effect in January last year, the GOJ is expected to invoke a safeguard provision on Thursday to limit shipments of U.S. beef. Import tariffs on American products will be raised by 13 points to 38.5% in response to a surge in imports in the past….Read more

Tokyo, March 15 (Jiji Press)–The Japanese government plans to carry out an emergency tariff hike for U.S. beef Thursday as a safeguard measure to curb imports, Jiji Press learned Monday.     This is because imports of U.S. beef since the start of fiscal 2020 topped the state-set threshold of 242,000 tons earlier this month, informed sources said.     Under the….Read more

NHK reported this morning that the GOJ is planning to implement an emergency tariff hike for U.S. beef soon as a safeguard measure to curb imports. Jiji Press reported that the GOJ will invoke a tariff hike on Thursday. NHK said that according to a source, it has become certain that imports of U.S. beef since the start of fiscal 2020 will exceed the state-set threshold of 242,000 tons by the end of this month. Under the safeguard….Read more