On June 30, Monday, US President Donald Trump condemned Japan claiming the country’s unwillingness to import United States grown rice and signalling the imbalance of trade between the two countries.
Taking to Truth Social, the US president asserted: “To show people how spoiled countries have become with respect to the United States of America… they won’t take our RICE, and yet they have a massive rice shortage.” “We’ll just be sending them a letter, and we love having them as a trading partner for many years to come”.
Notably, Japan has imported high volumes of US rice in recent months of past as there is a surge in the prices domestically grown rice since last year, burdening the pocket of consumers. However, Tokyo limits tariff-free imports of staple rice – which is consumed at meals juxtaposing rice which usually used for feed or ingredients in other products – at 100,000 metric tons a year and imposes a levy of 341 yen ($2.37) per kg for anything simply beyond that.
Notably, speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One the, US President Trump denounced Japan’s reluctance for the imports of US rice and said that a trade deal with Japan was unlikely before the July 9 deadline, warning to hike tariffs on imports of Japan to 30 or 35 per cent that could disturb the balance of trade between both countries.
Nonetheless, he imposed 10 per cent tariff on imports from most trading partner nations in the month of April. He introduced and then paused – higher rates on various economies allowing room for negotiations. Surprisingly, this pause will expire on July 9, indicating the elevated rates are as a result of increment in next week if countries fail to reach agreements with Washington to turn away them.