Customs duties: Why Japan is happy with a 15% tax with the United States

Following Indonesia, the Philippines, and Vietnam, US President Donald Trump announced on Tuesday, July 22, on his Truth Social platform that he had concluded a "huge trade deal" with Japan, which will be subject to a 15% tariff, lower than the 25% initially proposed by the United States . However, they will remain at 50% on steel and aluminum.

The White House tenant says he has obtained from Tokyo a promise to invest 550 billion dollars (around 469 billion euros) on American soil, notably in a natural gas exploitation site in Alaska, with the key, the "creation of hundreds of thousands of jobs" , he assures, as well as the opening of the Japanese market to cars, rice and other agricultural products from the United States. "We believe that it is a great achievement to have been able to obtain the largest reduction [in surcharges] among countries having a trade surplus with the United States" , Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba reacted soberly.

Asia's second-largest economy is a diplomatic ally of the United States and a bulwark against China's dominance in the region. It has successfully secured 15% US tariffs on its car exports, compared to 25% for the rest of the world. This sector is strategic for the archipelago, representing approximately 30% of its exports to the United States and 8% of its jobs. Shares of carmakers Toyota and Honda closed up 14.3% and 11.1% on the Tokyo Stock Exchange on Wednesday, July 23.

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