Over the past two weeks or so, quite a few Japanese businesspeople have likely lost sleep as they are virtually forced to wake up to U.S. President Donald Trump reversing his "reciprocal" and other tariff decisions on an almost daily basis.
To help rectify the situation, the government's tariff czar, Ryosei Akazawa, flew to Washington on Wednesday. The U.S. president himself not only abruptly showed up at the “supposedly ministerial” negotiations on tariff and trade, but even suggested that he would raise security issues, possibly including cost sharing for the U.S. forces in Japan.
Still, none of what is happening should come as a surprise. Global stock markets have swung daily over the past week or so, with Trump’s tariff rates seeming to shift just as quickly. One evening tabloid in Japan sneered at him as the “mad president,” while some pundits here defended him, claiming he has a clear strategy. Neither side is right.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.