Japan Reacting to U.S.-China Deal with Relief, Anxiety

Tokyo, May 14 (Jiji Press)--The Japanese government is reacting with both relief and anxiety to an agreement between the United States and China to lower their tariffs.
While Tokyo officials have basically welcomed the easing of trade tensions between the world's biggest and second-biggest economies, they are also fretting over the fact that Beijing has leapfrogged them in striking a deal with Washington.
Japanese government officials are analyzing the U.S.-China deal and preparing for the next round of ministerial negotiations with the U.S. government, expected for later this month.
The superhigh tariffs that the United States and China had imposed on each other were drastically reduced in an agreement announced Monday, boosting financial markets.
The reduction "is bound to impact" Japan, given that the superhigh tariffs were de facto trade bans, chief tariff negotiator Ryosei Akazawa said.
(2025/05/14-18:27)