Kuwait city: Japan's Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba expressed regret on Tuesday over US President Donald Trump's decision to impose a 25 percent tariff on Japanese goods from August 1. "It is truly regrettable that the US government has announced a tariff hike," Ishiba said at a tariff task force meeting.
According to Kuwait News Agency, "At this point, unfortunately no agreement has been reached. The Japanese government has been holding rigorous negotiations to avoid easy concessions while demanding and protecting what should be needed," he said. The premier also instructed the relevant Cabinet members to continue negotiations with the US government to reach an agreement that benefits both sides while protecting their national interests.
On Monday, Trump announced the new tariff rate in a letter to Ishiba, which the president revealed on his social media. Trump also said the tariff "may be modified, upward or downward" depending on the bilateral relationship between the two countries.