Tag - trade

 
 

TRADE

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick met with Ryosei Akazawa, Japan’s chief tariff negotiator, on Friday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 30, 2025
Japan-U.S. trade negotiations deadlocked after months of fruitless talks
Trump's comments on Sunday suggest he is in no mood to compromise on tariffs.
Rice paddies in the city of Asahikawa, Hokkaido. Rice is a major crop for Hokkaido, with the region having produced 562,400 tons of it last year.
BUSINESS / Economy / Regional Voices: Hokkaido
Jun 30, 2025
U.S. import pressure raises concerns for Hokkaido agriculture
The U.S. is nudging Japan to import more rice, soybeans, and maize — vital crops that support Hokkaido's economy.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney speaks at a news conference during a NATO summit in The Hague last Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 30, 2025
Canada rescinds digital services tax to advance stalled U.S. trade talks
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and U.S. President Donald Trump will resume trade negotiations in order to agree on a deal by July 21, Ottawa said.
Jerome Powell, Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, in Washington on June 24. The question of how to handle the fallout from White House decisions may loom large as Powell is set to speak on a panel with peers from the euro zone, Japan, South Korea and the U.K.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jun 30, 2025
Powell and Lagarde count cost of Trump’s turbulence
At the halfway point of 2025, global policy is almost paralyzed by the need to navigate risks posed both to inflation and growth in the wake of Trump’s actions.
Beachgoers wait in an underground bomb shelter after sirens sounded to warn of an incoming Iranian missile attack in Tel Aviv on June 20. Iran has found itself humbled after a ceasefire was declared but retains plenty of capacity to hit back.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 30, 2025
Israel emerges stronger from Iran war but risks blowback
Israel building military positions beyond its borders in Syria and Lebanon opened the country to risks of repercussions from regional partners wary of its assertiveness.
A Trump hat on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange on June 18
BUSINESS / Markets
Jun 30, 2025
Trump deals poised to fall short of sweeping global trade reform
Trump and his advisers have left investors on edge ahead of July 9, offering cryptic signals about which countries were close to agreements and which were off track.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney meets with U.S. President Donald Trump at the Group of Seven summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, Canada, on June 16.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 29, 2025
Canada's middle power myths give way to harsh realities
The goal is not to become America’s 51st state but to make such absorption unthinkable because Canada provides more value as a sovereign partner.
Workers build a scaffolding platform during construction at the Yamal LNG plant, operated by Novatek, in Sabetta, Russia, in August 2018.
BUSINESS
Jun 29, 2025
Russia tries again to expand LNG exports upended by sanctions
Since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Russian gas pipeline exports to Europe have dwindled, and shipping more fuel via seaborne LNG tankers provides an attractive revenue stream.
U.S. President Donald Trump and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney take part in an arrival ceremony during the Group of Seven leaders' summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, on June 16.
BUSINESS / Economy / FOCUS
Jun 29, 2025
Trump turns on ‘nice’ Mark Carney with Canadian tech tax ultimatum
The tax became law while Justin Trudeau was still in power and had prompted warnings of U.S. retaliation but Carney went ahead anyway.
Eels for sale in Tokyo in 2018. In Japan, eels are a prized food.
JAPAN
Jun 28, 2025
EU proposes eel trade restriction despite opposition from Japan
The proposal is aimed at putting fry, full-grown eels and processed eel products of all 18 species under regulation.
Japan's chief tariff negotiator, Ryosei Akazawa, speaks to reporters at Tokyo's Haneda Airport on Thursday, before departing for talks on U.S. tariffs in Washington.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 28, 2025
Japan and U.S. to continue tariff talks as July deadline looms
One focus of the bilateral negotiations is whether the suspension of additional "reciprocal" tariffs on Japan will be extended.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent speaks to members of the media after a Senate Republican policy luncheon at the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Friday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 28, 2025
Tariff deals could be wrapped up by Sept. 1, Bessent says as talks pick up
The U.S. Treasury chief did not mention any changes to a July 9 deadline for countries to reach deals with the United States or see tariffs spike higher.
Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney and U.S. President Donald Trump arrive for a family photo during the Group of Seven leaders' summit at the Kananaskis Country Golf Course in Kananaskis, Alberta, on June 16.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 28, 2025
Trump halts trade talks with Canada, shattering optimism over tariff deals
The move came just hours after U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent struck an upbeat tone on trade, saying deals could be reached by Sept. 1.
Government-stockpiled rice aiming at resolving persisting price rises displayed at a supermarket in Tokyo on May 31
BUSINESS
Jun 27, 2025
Japan private-sector rice imports soar in May
Restaurants and consumers are increasingly turning to U.S. brands in search of cheaper prices.
Governments seeking agreements to whittle down country-by-country tariffs U.S. President Donald Trump announced on April 2, and then suspended until July 9, have no idea where additional levies will land.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 27, 2025
Trump’s threat of more tariffs makes U.S. trade partners wary of signing deals
The U.S. might apply levies under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act on a range of foreign-made products in certain industries.
U.S. Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick attends an event at the White House in Washington on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 27, 2025
Lutnick says U.S.-China truce signed and 10 trade deals imminent
The move includes a commitment from China to deliver rare earths used in everything from wind turbines to jet planes.
Japanese automakers make 3.3 million cars in the U.S. a year, far more than the 1.37 million that they ship there, Japan's chief trade negotiator Ryosei Akazawa says.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jun 26, 2025
Japan can’t accept 25% car tariffs, Akazawa reiterates
Japanese automakers make roughly 3.3 million cars in the U.S. a year, far more than the 1.37 million that they ship there, the negotiator said.
A worker moves a shipping container at Felixstowe port in Felixstowe, U.K.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jun 25, 2025
Pressure for Trump trade deals ramps up with two weeks to go
As of July 9, exporting nations without a bilateral accord in place will face Trump’s so-called "Liberation Day” tariffs that are much higher than the current baseline 10% level.
Ryosei Akazawa, Japan’s chief tariff negotiator (left), meets with Nippon Steel Chairman and CEO Eiji Hashimoto.
BUSINESS
Jun 24, 2025
Japan needs a big, beautiful trade deal with the United States
A creative solution along the lines of the U.S. Steel "golden share" has been suggested.
Japan has already told the EU that the Japanese eel is at no risk of extinction due to international trade.
JAPAN
Jun 24, 2025
Japan opposes EU moves toward eel trade regulation under CITES
Japan plans to collaborate with countries including China and South Korea to urge signatories to reject the proposal.

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An illustration features the Japanese signs for "ganbare" (good luck) and the Deaflympics, which will be held between Nov. 15 and 26.
A century of Deaf sport finds its moment in Tokyo