Japan and the United States remained at loggerheads Tuesday over tariffs imposed by the U.S. in March on a range of steel imports, moving Tokyo a step closer to retaliation.
"If there is no reasonable response from the U.S., Japan will have to take countermeasures," trade minister Takeo Hiranuma said in Washington after meeting with Commerce Secretary Don Evans.
Hiranuma, minister of economy, trade, and industry, said he reiterated that Japan believes the curbs are inconsistent with World Trade Organization rules and called on the U.S. to compensate Japan for potential export losses.
Evans repeated Washington's position that the import restrictions are consistent with WTO rules and thus the U.S. is not obliged to offer compensation, Hiranuma said.