[Text/Observer Network, Xiong Chaoyi] Last week, the UK and the US reached a trade agreement; this week, the China-US economic and trade senior talks also reached a joint statement. As one of the first countries to negotiate with the United States, Japan is now very anxious.

According to Nikkei Asia on May 14, as progress has been made in the tariff issues between the UK and the US, and China and the US, Japan is increasingly worried that its trade negotiations with the US may take longer, making its hope of gaining negotiation advantages seem remote.

A Japanese source involved in the Japan-US negotiation said: "The progress of the China-US and UK-US negotiations is faster than expected. The current priority may be the China-US (negotiation)." The report stated that if China becomes the top priority for US negotiations, Tokyo might be squeezed out of the limited negotiation schedule.

Previously, Japan had always been optimistic about the Japan-US negotiations, partly due to the Japan-US alliance relationship. US Treasury Secretary Besenette said in April this year that he expected "Japan to be given priority consideration."

However, now, the US side seems to expect that negotiations with Japan will last a long time. "You have to spend a lot of time dealing with Japan and South Korea, and these agreements will not be concluded quickly," US Commerce Secretary Lutnik said during an interview with Bloomberg Television on May 8.

"Different countries are in different positions and situations, so their negotiation timetables and agreement contents will naturally vary," Japanese Minister of Economic Revitalization and Chief Trade Negotiator Akira Akiyama said when facing reporters on May 13: "The US considers us extremely important. My understanding is that this has not changed."

On May 1st, Besenette and Akira Akiyama held the US-Japan negotiation in Washington,共同社

Nikkei Asia pointed out that US Treasury Secretary Besenette and US Trade Representative Greer were both involved in the high-level China-US economic and trade talks and represented the US side in the negotiations with Japan. If the US prioritizes discussions with China among many negotiation agendas, Japan may find it difficult to secure exclusive negotiation time.

The report stated that in the second round of Japan-US cabinet-level tariff negotiations held in Washington on May 1st, the two sides were still struggling to finalize the agenda until the last moment, forcing Akira Akiyama to extend his visit to the US by one day. Although they finally agreed to launch "intensive" cabinet-level negotiations in mid-May, most issues remain unresolved. Considering the travel arrangements of the US representatives, the negotiations may be postponed until late May or later.

Meanwhile, since the last meeting, working-level consultations between Japan and the US have continued. Japanese officials believe that it may be possible to hold a summit with the US during the G7 Summit in June, hoping to reach an overall agreement there.

Currently, the negotiation difficulty Japan faces is higher than other countries because Japan must renegotiate so-called "reciprocal tariffs" and separately handle the 25% additional tariffs on automobiles and related products. These factors may make prolonged negotiations inevitable.

According to an exclusive report by Kyodo News on May 6, during the Japan-US negotiations, the US refused to cancel the 24% "reciprocal tariff" imposed on Japan and the 10% "benchmark tariff" that was suspended. At the same time, the US did not intend to discuss tariffs on automobiles, steel, etc., and only limited the negotiation content to lowering the "reciprocal tariff".

Kyodo News reported that for Japan, which has always sought full tariff elimination from the US, this situation is extremely severe. The US attitude of not giving special treatment to Japan is clear, and it is expected that concentrated negotiations starting in mid-May will face numerous difficulties.

The automobile manufacturing industry is a pillar of Japan's economy. The US imposing tariffs on imported cars not only affects Japan's automotive industry but may also impact its economy.

In 2024, Japan exported approximately 1.37 million vehicles to the US, accounting for more than 30% of its total exports. US Department of Commerce statistics also show that in 2024, Japan, excluding Mexico, was the second-largest source of car imports for the US by country.

According to calculations by Nomura Research Institute, US tariff policies will lead to a 0.59% decline in Japan's actual GDP. On May 1st, the Bank of Japan announced that it would revise its 2025 GDP growth forecast from 1.1% estimated in January to 0.5%, down 0.6 percentage points.

This article is an exclusive contribution from Observer Network and cannot be reprinted without permission.

Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7504130415411446324/

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