As part of our leadership of the U.S. Congressional Study Groups on Japan and South Korea, we often take a delegation of House members to visit our partnering countries — trips that are marked by protocol and mutual respect between long-standing allies. But this year was different.
In Japan, formal diplomatic courtesies gave way to something rare: visible frustration. Senior leaders conveyed a sense of betrayal — sharply criticizing the United States’ recent tariff threats as a breach of trust.
In South Korea, business leaders voiced concern that new tariffs on semiconductors, electric vehicles and clean energy technologies could risk triggering a global recession. They stressed that this uncertainty threatens hard-won gains in our economic partnership.
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