Japanese official slams US tariffs as “deeply regrettable”

Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi has sharply criticised the US decision to impose higher tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, calling the move “deeply regrettable.”

He noted that the Japanese government is seeking clarity on US President Donald Trump’s recent decision to raise tariffs on steel and aluminum imports to 50 per cent, a significant increase that has already drawn strong concern from Tokyo, Caliber.Az reports via Russian media. 

Hayashi said that Japan was closely monitoring the situation but criticised the move as a setback to bilateral economic relations.

“We are aware of the announcement. First and foremost, we will closely monitor the specifics of the measures, which are expected to become clearer in due course,” Hayashi stated. “In any case, we consider the series of tariff actions taken by the US government to be deeply regrettable, and we strongly urge a reconsideration.”

Earlier, President Trump announced that he was doubling foreign tariffs on steel imports to 50 per cent, as the president celebrated a “blockbuster” agreement for Japan-based Nippon Steel to invest in US Steel during a rally in Pennsylvania. Surrounded by men in orange hardhats at a US Steel plant in West Mifflin, Trump unveiled the new levies, declaring that the dramatic rate increase would “even further secure the steel industry in the United States”.

“Nobody is going to get around that,” Trump said of the tariff rate hike from what was 25 per cent. In a social media post after the conclusion of his remarks, Trump announced that the 50 per cent tariffs on steel would also apply to imported aluminum and would take effect on June 4.

By Naila Huseynova