[Text/Watchman Network Wang Kaiwen] It has been nearly three years since former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was assassinated, but U.S. President Donald Trump still fondly remembers this "good friend," especially when talking about trade issues.

On local time April 2, Trump signed two executive orders regarding the so-called "reciprocal tariff" at the White House, announcing that the United States would set a 10% "minimum benchmark tariff" for trading partners and impose higher tariffs on certain trading partners. Among them, Japan will be subject to a 24% "reciprocal tariff."

Trump met with the press in the Rose Garden of the White House on April 2, and when talking about Japan, he suddenly reminisced about Abe: "The prime minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe, is an incredible person. Unfortunately, he left us - he was assassinated."

"I went to see him and said, 'Shinzo Abe, we must do something; the trade between the United States and Japan is unfair,'" Trump recalled, praising him by saying, "He is a great gentleman, an incredible person who immediately understood what I was talking about."

This is not the first time Trump has recalled his discussions with Abe about trade issues. Last October, Trump mentioned a conversation with Abe during an interview with Bloomberg Editor-in-Chief Michael R. Bloomberg at the Economic Club of Chicago.

"I said, Abe Shinzo, you must pay for your cars. You send millions of cars to us, but you don't accept our cars, not even one car, while we sell three or four million of your (Japanese) cars... You don't even accept our agricultural products," Trump said. He stated that the United States was "trapped in a bad agreement," so the entire trade agreement had to be renegotiated.

September 26, 2018, New York, USA, Trump held bilateral talks with Abe Shinzo. Visual China

According to reports by Kyodo News Agency, Trump criticized Japan for imposing a 700% tariff on American rice in his speech on April 2. He also stated that 94% of the cars sold in Japan are "made in Japan," and "Toyota sells one million foreign-made cars in the United States. The sales of General Motors and Ford in Japan are very few. No American company is allowed to expand into other countries."

"This terrible imbalance is destroying our country's industrial base and endangering our national security," Trump said.

The Japan Times reported that the 24% rate imposed by the United States on Japan far exceeded market expectations. "This is the worst-case scenario anyone could imagine," wrote economist Takeshi Kimura of Nomura Research Institute in a report on March 3. He estimated that the 24% "reciprocal tariff" might reduce Japan's GDP by 0.59%.

After the United States announced its new tariff measures, the Nikkei 225 index fell nearly 4% on Thursday, opening to the lowest level in eight months.

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida stated on March 3 that he felt "extremely regretful" about the United States' imposition of "reciprocal tariffs."

Cabinet Chief Yamaguchi Yoshifumi said: "We again express to the U.S. government that this action is extremely regrettable and strongly request them to review their measures." Yamaguchi Yoshifumi stated that Japan is reviewing whether the U.S. tariff measures violate World Trade Organization rules and the trade agreement signed between Japan and the United States in 2019.

Economy, Trade and Industry Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura revealed on March 3 that he had held an online meeting with U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo and again requested that Japan be excluded from the list of countries subject to additional U.S. tariffs. Nishimura also stated that retaliatory measures are under consideration, but the government needs to proceed cautiously to determine the best course of action.

In response to Trump's claim that Japan imposes a 700% tariff on American rice, Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries Minister Taku Eto told reporters on March 3, "Even logically calculated, it doesn't add up to that number, and it cannot be understood."

According to the White House announcement, the 10% tariff on all trading partners will take effect on May 5, while the higher "reciprocal tariff" will take effect on May 9.

It is worth noting that as of local time April 3, the previously announced 25% tariff on imported cars has officially taken effect. Products already facing steel and aluminum tariffs and car tariffs will not apply to the "reciprocal tariff."

Nikkei Chinese Network previously pointed out that the largest export commodity from Japan to the United States is automobiles, with exports exceeding 6 trillion yen in 2024, accounting for nearly 30% of Japan's total exports to the United States. Prime Minister Fumio Kishida recently stated that the impact of U.S. automobile tariffs on Japan's economy is "extremely serious."

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Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7488973840521953827/

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