Japan policy chief warns of Trump tariff impact on Asian security

WASHINGTON - The policy chief of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party on April 28 called on US President Donald Trump to reconsider his plans for reciprocal tariffs, saying they could negatively impact Indo-Pacific security.

Former defence minister Itsunori Onodera said Tokyo was particularly concerned by the effect in South-east Asia, shown by the current visit there by Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba.

Speaking at Washington’s Centre for Strategic and International Studies think tank, Mr Onodera warned that countries of the 10-member Asean “may become more distant” from the US because the tariffs.

“That’s a concern that we have,” he said, speaking via an interpreter. “I hope... the Trump tariffs will be reconsidered.”

Mr Trump hit Japan with 24 per cent tariffs on its exports to the US and Asean nations also have been targeted, although, like most of the levies, they were paused until July to allow for negotiations. A 10 per cent universal rate remains in place, as does a 25 per cent duty on cars, a mainstay of Japan’s export-heavy economy.

Japan’s trade negotiator Ryosei Akazawa is due in Washington for a second round of negotiations this week.

Mr Onodera said Mr Ishiba was profoundly concerned about Asean. “The Trump tariffs can have a very big impact, not just on economics, but to our ally in the US, we’d like to say they could have a potentially very big impact in security as well,” he warned.

Mr Onodera said stability in East Asia required the US and Japan to offer improved deterrence, and added: “We hope that the Trump tariffs will not damage that.”

Washington should keep in mind maintenance work Japan conducts on US naval vessels and other security collaboration, amid increased tensions and threats posed by China, Russia and North Korea, Mr Onodera said.

He said