Tag - trade

 
 

TRADE

Ryosei Akazawa, Japan’s chief tariff negotiator, and U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick held a 110-minute meeting on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 6, 2025
In tariff talks with the U.S., Japan may have blinked
Tokyo is backing off from its insistence that all new tariffs be removed, according to a Friday report by the Asahi Shimbun.
Japan's exports in terms of value dropped 3% in the first 20 days of May from the same period a year earlier, indicating the impact of U.S. tariffs.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 6, 2025
Japan’s early May exports drop as tariff woes upend commerce
Exports measured by value dropped 3% in the first 20 days of May, which compared with a 2% rise for April.
U.S. Ambassador to Japan George Glass visits the Northrop Grumman booth during the Defence and Security Equipment International Japan trade show at Makuhari Messe in the city of Chiba last month.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 6, 2025
U.S. envoy plays down Washington-Tokyo trade row
George Glass dismissed concerns that tensions over unilateral U.S. tariffs could lead to a repeat of the trade war between the two countries in the 1980s.
A Mercedes-Benz production line in Rastatt, Germany, earlier this month. European auto suppliers alone have filed hundreds of requests to China for rare earths since early April, with only about a quarter granted.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 6, 2025
The world's auto supply chain is in the hands of a few Chinese bureaucrats
China holds a near-monopoly on rare earth magnets — a crucial component in EV motors — and it added them to an export control list in April.
The highly anticipated call between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping came in the middle of a dispute over "rare earths" minerals that threatened to tear up a fragile truce in the trade war.
WORLD
Jun 6, 2025
Trump and Xi pledge more talks as trade disputes brew
In a rare call, Trump and Xi pledged to resume trade talks, but tensions over rare earth minerals and Taiwan remained unresolved.
A Tirtir store in Seoul on May 23
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 5, 2025
South Korean beauty brands bet boom in U.S. demand outlasts tariff pain
The startups are expanding their bricks-and-mortar presence in the world's biggest consumer market, confident their mass appeal will offset tariff costs.
Japan's top tariff negotiator, Ryosei Akazawa, left Tokyo for Washington on Thursday for the fifth round of trade negotiations with the United States.
BUSINESS
Jun 5, 2025
Japan to continue to seek tariff removal in latest negotiations ahead of G7
Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and U.S. President Donald Trump are expected to meet on the sidelines of the summit, with anticipation mounting for a trade deal announcement.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping
WORLD / Politics
Jun 5, 2025
Trump’s late-night lament over Xi deepens impasse in trade fight
Exactly what the Chinese are asking the White House to relinquish in order to secure a phone call with their leader remains unclear.
Japan and the United States are aiming for a meeting between Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba and President Donald Trump at the Group of Seven leaders summit on June 16 and 17.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 4, 2025
U.S. doubles steel and aluminum tariffs as Japan counts on a breakthrough
The United Kingdom is exempt from the higher rates because it struck an early trade deal with the United States.
Solar panels at an industrial complex in Rajasthan, India, are an example of India-Japan renewable energy cooperation. The two countries can strengthen their ties by co-developing green and advanced technologies, solar energy among them.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Jun 4, 2025
The ground is fertile for Japan-India green economy partnerships
Japan and India can build on their long-standing relationship to spearhead the development of green and advanced technologies such as renewable energy and chips.
South Korean President Lee Jae-myung waves with his his wife, Kim Hye-gyeong, following his inauguration ceremony at the National Assembly in Seoul on Wednesday.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jun 4, 2025
South Korea’s Lee pledges to heal deep wounds as ‘president for everyone’
Lee Jae-myung, in his inauguration speech, said his government would continue his predecessor’s policy of strengthening cooperation with Japan.
U.S. President Donald Trump at the U.S. Steel Corporation Irvin Works facility in West Mifflin, Pennsylvania, on Friday
BUSINESS / Markets
Jun 4, 2025
U.K. avoids doubled U.S. steel and aluminium tariffs as countries eye trade pact
The U.S. announcement, which exempts British steel and aluminum from a doubling of tariffs to 50%, came in a proclamation that will raise metals tariffs for other countries.
Elon Musk looks on during a news conference with U.S. President Donald Trump in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington on Saturday. Musk has dubbed Trump's sweeping tax and spending bill as a "disgusting abomination."
WORLD / Politics
Jun 4, 2025
Trump's 'big, beautiful bill?' Musk calls it a 'disgusting abomination.'
The Tesla and SpaceX CEO says the U.S. president's sweeping tax and spending bill will increase the federal deficit.
Former House of Representatives Speaker Yohei Kono (left) speaks with Chinese Premier Li Qiang in Beijing on Tuesday.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 4, 2025
Chinese Premier Li Qiang urges Japan to stand with China against Trump's tariffs
A Japanese delegation of around 100 members headed by former House of Representatives Speaker Yohei Kono is visiting China for seven days until Sunday.
Workers transport soil containing rare earth elements for export at a port in Lianyungang, Jiangsu province, China in 2010.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jun 4, 2025
Global alarms rise as China's critical mineral export curbs take hold
China has a stranglehold on minerals crucial for sectors ranging from aerospace to semiconductors.
Laleli's informal shipping scene, once a bustling hub of cross-continental trade, is now facing growing pressure from rising costs and tougher residency rules imposed by Turkish authorities.
BUSINESS
Jun 3, 2025
Tough residency rules and Chinese competition squeeze Istanbul's 'suitcase trade'
Shipments have dropped, even as Turkish exports to Africa have generally soared — from $11.5 billion in 2017 to $19.4 billion last year.
Willie Walsh, director general of the International Air Transport Association, speaks at the press briefing in New Delhi on Monday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jun 3, 2025
Trade barriers and plane delivery delays challenge global airline growth
More people are flying than ever before after a post-pandemic passenger market recovery, but airline growth is being hampered.
U.S. President Donald Trump holds a chart listing tariffs described as reciprocal during an event in the Rose Garden entitled "Make America Wealthy Again" at the White House in Washington on April 2.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 3, 2025
For volatile Trump, trade pacts with China and Europe prove elusive
So far, there has been few signs of a breakthrough with either of America's two biggest trading partners.
Trump hopes increased levies on aluminum and steel will protect margins for domestic mills and spur investment in new production capacity.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jun 3, 2025
U.S. aluminum and steel prices surge as Trump doubles tariffs
U.S. buyers could end up paying about 50% more than international competitors to get hold of aluminum.
Despite doubts and talk of alternatives in Asia and beyond, the dollar remains dominant because there are no viable rivals and it continues to serve as the world’s key safe asset.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 3, 2025
The problem with Asia's ‘sell America’ moment
The region’s currencies are enjoying a healthy rally. History warns against anti-dollar triumphalism.

Longform

Figure skater Akiko Suzuki was once told her ideal weight should be 47 kilograms, a number she now admits she “naively believed.” This led to her have a relationship with food that resulted in her suffering from anorexia.
The silent battle Japanese athletes fight with weight