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lite.cnn.com - on gopher - inofficial | |
ARTICLE VIEW: | |
Trump threatens Japan with new tariffs, claiming it won’t buy | |
America’s rice | |
By Elisabeth Buchwald, CNN | |
Updated: | |
11:40 PM EDT, Mon June 30, 2025 | |
Source: CNN | |
President Donald Trump is threatening to impose higher tariffs on | |
Japanese exports to the United States over what he claims is the | |
country’s unwillingness to buy American-grown rice. | |
“They won’t take our RICE, and yet they have a massive rice | |
shortage. In other words, we’ll just be sending them a letter, and we | |
love having them as a Trading Partner for many years to come,” Trump | |
said in a on Truth Social. | |
Trump’s claim that Japan “won’t take” rice from the US isn’t | |
true. The country bought $298 million worth of rice from the US last | |
year, according to US Census Bureau trade data. Between January and | |
April of this year, Japan bought $114 million worth of rice. | |
However, it’s unclear if Japanese officials involved in ongoing trade | |
negotiations between the two countries have said they will stop buying | |
rice from the US in the future. On Tuesday, Chief Cabinet Secretary | |
Yoshimasa Hayashi said that trade talks between the two sides are | |
ongoing, and that the Japanese government is aware of Trump’s claim, | |
though he declined to comment on it. | |
“While we refrain from disclosing the specifics of our discussions | |
with the US, Japan will continue to vigorously pursue sincere and | |
honest discussions with the aim of achieving an agreement that will | |
benefit both Japan and the US,” he said. | |
A 2021 published by the Office of the United States Trade | |
Representative under former President Joe Biden stated that | |
“Japan’s highly regulated and nontransparent system of importation | |
and distribution for rice limits the ability of US exporters to have | |
meaningful access to Japan’s consumers.” A source familiar with | |
Trump’s thinking told CNN that’s what he was referring to in his | |
post. | |
Trump has said recently that his administration plans to send some | |
foreign countries letters advising them of what their new tariff rates | |
could be, following the pause of his April “reciprocal” tariffs on | |
US trading partners. | |
And in a Fox News interview that aired on Sunday, Trump singled out | |
Japan as one of the possible countries set to receive a letter. | |
“Dear Mr. Japan, here’s the story: You’re going to pay a 25% | |
tariff on your cars,” he said. | |
Trump’s Truth Social message comes with just days to go until the | |
July 9 deadline when his 90-day pause on those “reciprocal” tariffs | |
expires. It’s unclear what will happen to tariff rates for the dozens | |
of impacted countries. | |
Before Trump announced the pause, Japanese exports were briefly | |
subjected to a minimum tariff rate of 24%. Since the pause went in | |
effect, they’ve been subject to the universal 10% rate. | |
White House National Economic Council Director Kevin Hassett on Monday | |
suggested that negotiations with Japan are ongoing. | |
“Nothing is over,” Hassett told reporters at the White House. “I | |
know what he just posted, but there’ll still be discussions right up | |
till the end. Even if we get a framework, then there’s still gonna be | |
things to finalize.” | |
This story has been updated with the comment of the Japanese | |
government. | |
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