INTERVIEW: Trump Unlikely to Reset U.S. Tariffs on Japanese Cars

   New York, May 16 (Jiji Press)--Tariffs on Japanese vehicles that have been raised by U.S. President Donald Trump are unlikely to return to the level before the launch in January this year of his second administration, even after negotiations, an economist has said.
   The administration will not easily agree to lowering the tariffs, considering the size of the U.S. deficit in vehicle trade with Japan, Stefan Angrick, senior economist at Moody's Analytics in Tokyo, said in a recent interview with Jiji Press.
   The United States is the largest export destination for Japan, with vehicles accounting for about 30 pct of Japan's total exports to the country. The U.S. administration started applying an additional 25 pct tariff on imported vehicles in April.
   As the U.S. government agreed to lower its tariffs on British vehicles earlier this month, Angrick predicts that the Trump administration may lower vehicle tariffs for other countries as well.
   The economist said that although the levy on Japanese vehicles may be cut to some 10 pct, there is no chance that the tariffs will go back to 2.5 pct, the level before they were raised by the Trump administration, as the president prioritizes a reshoring of manufacturing industry.

(2025/05/16-21:25)