A flurry of fast-moving events over the past week have thrown Japan’s tariff negotiations with the United States into uncharted territory. With a July 9 deadline fast approaching, Washington is ramping up pressure on trading partners to strike quick deals, but Tokyo’s intentions remain hard to decipher.
Some analysts opine that Japan’s strategy is to drag out the talks as long as possible, and they argue that it should continue to do so. But after U.S. President Donald Trump lashed out at Japan earlier this week, and a surprise trade deal was reached between the United States and Vietnam, the question becomes: How long can Japan hold its ground?
In the 11 weeks since negotiations started, both sides have maintained their hard-line stances. While Japan insists that all tariffs should be included in a single package deal, the U.S. is demanding big concessions in exchange for a lowering of the higher "reciprocal" rate, set at 24% for Japan.
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