Japan to resist Trump efforts to form trade bloc against China

TOKYO – Japan intends to push back against any US effort to bring it into an economic bloc aligned against China because of the importance of Tokyo’s trade ties with Beijing, according to current and former Japanese government officials.

Like many other countries, Japan is trying to get permanent relief from President Donald Trump’s tariffs by addressing US concerns in areas of bilateral trade, including automobiles and agriculture.

The officials, who asked not to be identified, said that Japan is pushing to strike a deal before the current 90-day reprieve in tariffs expires, with one person saying the country hopes to finalise an agreement around the Group of Seven summit in June.

At the same time, the officials said Japan does not want to get caught up in any US effort to maximise trade pressure on China by curbing its own economic interaction with Beijing, which is Tokyo’s biggest trading partner and an important source of goods and raw materials.

Although the US has not made any specific requests to Japan regarding China, Tokyo would prioritise its own interests if that occurs, Japanese officials say.

One of the officials added that Japan has conveyed to China on multiple occasions that it does not fully align with the US on chip-related exports and semiconductor restrictions.

Japan’s Foreign Ministry did not immediately provide comment upon a request by Bloomberg.

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, who is playing a leading role in trade talks with Japan and other nations, said earlier in April that the US would seek to reach agreements with allies and “then we can approach China as a group”.

Bloomberg subsequently reported that the US is preparing to ask countries seeking tariff relief to reduce economic ties to China in a move to strengthen US leverage over Beijing as it