According to a April 26 report by Japan's Nikkei Asian Review, as part of the U.S.-Japan tariff negotiations, Japan is exploring increasing imports of American corn.

The Nikkei reported that with reduced corn exports from the U.S. to China, Japan's move will help offset the impact and reach a compromise with the U.S. government.

Corn is mainly used for animal feed. The U.S. is Japan's largest source of corn imports, accounting for nearly 80% in 2024.

In 2019, during President Trump's first term, amid tense Sino-U.S. trade relations, Japan had stated it was willing to purchase feed corn from the U.S. and other overseas markets due to pest and disease damage to Japanese crops.

In addition, a report released earlier by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative urged Japan to expand the use of bioethanol. Japan's bioethanol imports mainly come from the U.S. and Brazil, with the U.S. focusing on exporting corn-based bioethanol.

Nikkei reported on April 24 that the Japanese government is also considering increasing imports of American soybeans.

The Japanese government believes that increasing imports of corn and soybeans will become an effective bargaining chip in the U.S.-Japan tariff negotiations.

On April 25, Shoichi Morioka, the secretary-general of Japan's Liberal Democratic Party, talked about corn trade matters, stating that unfortunately, Japan's production cannot keep up with demand, so increasing import volumes is not a problem.

Regarding soybeans, he said: "We (Japan and the U.S.) can cooperate, slightly increase import volumes, or explore uses in clean energy."

Bioethanol was also discussed at the U.S.-Japan summit held in February.

Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba said at a joint press conference: "It is in Japan's interest to ensure stable and reasonably priced supply of resources such as bioethanol, ammonia, and liquefied natural gas. This will also help reduce the U.S. trade deficit with Japan."

Trump then said that American farmers "will be very, very happy."

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Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7497456257139048969/

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