Japan will purchase 100 Boeing aircraft, $8 billion in agricultural products and other goods, and "open" the previously tariff-free import of American cars.

According to Nikkei, the White House said on Wednesday that Japan has pledged to increase purchases of American planes, defense equipment, rice, and other agricultural products as part of a trade agreement with the United States. Countries that had previously reached agreements felt they had been shortchanged.

The White House confirmed that Tokyo has committed to purchasing 100 Boeing aircraft, acquiring $8 billion worth of agricultural products and other goods, and increasing defense procurement from U.S. companies by about $3 billion, raising it to $17 billion.

As part of the agreement, Japan will also increase the amount of rice imported from the United States by 75%.

On Wednesday morning, Trump stated on a series of social media posts that he is willing to lower tariffs if it allows American companies to better access foreign markets.

"If I can get major countries to open their markets to the U.S., I would give up the tariff points. That's the huge power of tariffs," he wrote on Truth Social. "Without tariffs, you can't get countries to open their markets! Always keep zero tariffs for the U.S.!!!"

Regarding this agreement with Japan, Trump said that Japan was "the first" to open its market to the U.S., including American exports of cars, SUVs, trucks, and even agricultural products and "rice — which has always been a completely off-limits area."

Japan already does not impose tariffs on imported passenger vehicles.

On Monday evening, Japanese Trade Representative Akira Takashima told reporters that Japan will cancel additional safety inspection requirements for U.S. automakers deemed trustworthy.

On the rice issue, Takashima emphasized that Japan will maintain an import quota of 770,000 tons of duty-free rice annually but will increase the proportion of U.S. rice within that limit. Japan imposes a tax of 341 yen (approximately $2.33) per kilogram on rice imported outside the quota.

Previously, Tokyo had also proposed increasing purchases of U.S. agricultural products such as soybeans and corn as part of the agreement.

Under the agreement, the U.S. tariff on Japanese cars will be reduced from 27.5% to 15%, with no import quantity limits.

David Bolling, head of Japan and Asian trade at political risk consulting firm Eurasia Group, said Trump's concession on car tariffs was surprising. He pointed out that major car-exporting countries like South Korea and Germany would also want similar agreements.

Bolling said, "I'm sure officials in Seoul will stay up all night studying this agreement. Koreans will contact their contacts in the Japanese government and do everything possible to figure out the details."

However, Bolling predicted that Trump might reject similar requests from other countries. He might say that Japan is an exception because Japan produces 3.3 million cars annually in the U.S. and has committed to investing $55 billion in the U.S., a commitment that is hard for other countries to match.

After the announcement of the agreement with Japan, some people in other countries, such as the Philippines, began reflecting on their agreements with the Trump administration.

"I really wish we had been tougher in our negotiations," said Richard Hidalgo, a political scholar and senior lecturer at the University of the Philippines Asia Center. "Japan got much more."

Before the announcement of this agreement, Trump had reached an agreement with Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., reducing the U.S. tariff on Philippine goods from 20% to 19%.

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1838479597649930/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author."