Trump Sets 15% Tariff On Japanese Imports As Part Of Investment Agreement

President Donald Trump said successful a Truth Social post connected Tuesday that nan U.S. had reached a woody pinch Japan to little its tariff complaint to 15% aft Japanese officials said they would put $500 cardinal into nan United States.

That complaint is little than nan 24% that Trump threatened Japan pinch on April 2 and the 25% that he said he would deed Japanese imports pinch successful a missive connected July 7. Before Trump's existent term, nan effective U.S. tariff complaint connected Japanese imports was little than 2%, according to World Bank data.

Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not instantly respond to a petition for remark astir nan specifications of nan agreement.

The announcement comes conscionable days earlier August 1, nan latest deadline imposed by Trump connected countries to make a woody to debar tariff rates that Trump himself had group successful dozens of letters he fired disconnected connected societal media. Even though that deadline had been delayed before, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Tuesday connected Fox Business Network that it was a "pretty difficult deadline."

Since Trump's alleged "Liberation Day" connected April 2, nan management has yet to onslaught immoderate general waste and acquisition deals, alternatively signing a fistful of model deals that tin beryllium turned into fully-fledged deals later.

Japan has been furiously attempting to debar arsenic overmuch of a deed from Trump's world tariffs arsenic possible. Japan's lead waste and acquisition negotiator has visited nan United States astatine slightest 8 times, astir precocious connected Sunday erstwhile he held a much than two-hour gathering pinch Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick.

As portion of nan agreement, Trump said that Japan would "invest, astatine my direction, $550 Billion Dollars into nan United States, which will person 90% of nan Profits." It was unclear really an finance of this type would work.

Trump touted nan announcement astatine an arena pinch legislature Republicans later Tuesday, saying that nan tariffs “kicked successful amended than anybody different than maine and a fewer of nan group successful nan room thought could happen."

Trump added that Japan would beryllium forming a associated task pinch nan U.S. related to liquified earthy state successful Alaska.

Japan was nan 5th highest root of U.S. imports successful 2024, pinch American consumers and companies buying astir $150 cardinal of equipment from nan country, according to Commerce Department data.

The talks pinch Japan came astatine a reliable clip politically for Japan's government. Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's ruling statement precocious mislaid some houses of parliament. Ishiba pledged to enactment on arsenic leader, successful portion to reside economical headwinds.

Trump had precocious downplayed nan chances of an statement pinch Japan.

"The Japanese are tough, but yet you person to understand we're conscionable going to nonstop a missive saying 'this is what you're going to pay, different you don't person to do business pinch us'. But there's a chance," Trump said connected June 16.

In May, Trump approved a long-delayed takeover of U.S. Steel by Japan's Nippon Steel. As portion of that deal, Nippon agreed to create astatine slightest 70,000 jobs done a $14 cardinal investment, according to some companies and nan White House. The companies later upped that to 100,000 jobs but clarified that those additions included "direct, indirect, and induced jobs."