The President of the United States, Donald Trump, gestures during a Cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, D.C., United States, on August 26, 2025. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
As reported by Agence France-Presse
U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order reducing tariffs on Japanese cars to 15% as part of a trade deal with Japan. According to data provided by the White House, Japanese cars will now be taxed at 15% instead of the previous 27.5%, and many other goods have also been subjected to a 15% ceiling.
This move is viewed as positive for Japan: upon arriving in Washington, Trade Representative Ryosei Akazawa and the parties agreed to sign the document – earlier they had also announced mutual understandings. Although the official presentation of the agreement took place at the end of July, later there were differences in details. In early August, Trump imposed higher tariffs on Japanese goods as part of a broader package for dozens of economies, effectively adding 15% on top of existing tariffs for many goods.
Akazawa had previously told reporters that Washington expected a review of this provision. Under the new order, the 15% cap will be applied retroactively – to shipments sent since August 7, when elevated tariffs on dozens of economies went into effect.
The changes are to be made within seven days of the rule’s publication in the Federal Register, after which they will take effect for Japanese importers and other goods covered by the new tariff ceiling.
In the broader context of the United States’ tariff actions for 2025, the president announced the imposition of tariffs on goods from 185 countries and territories, establishing a minimum import tariff of 10%. For the EU the tariff is 20%, for China 34%.
In April the United States also imposed a 25% tariff on all cars imported into the country. In response, China imposed a 34% tariff on imported goods from the United States, which took effect on April 10. On April 9, Trump announced raising tariffs on Chinese imports to 125% (the previous rate was 104%). In response China imposed an additional 84% in tariffs, and by April 10 the U.S. rate rose to about 145%.
On July 12, Trump announced a 30% tariff on imports from Mexico and the EU, which took effect on August 1. The European Commission’s reaction was expected: Ursula von der Leyen warned that such tariffs could harm businesses and consumers on both sides of the Atlantic. Experts emphasize that further developments will depend on negotiations between the United States and its trading partners.
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