Higher Tax Hasn't Curbed Japan's Appetite for American Beef
- Sales of fresh, chilled beef rise after curb on frozen meat
- The net gain for U.S. ranchers may soothe American concerns
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U.S. and Japanese officials may avoid trading barbs over beef at the U.S.-Japan economic dialogue on Oct. 16, despite Donald Trump’s preoccupation with trade deficits and a recently raised tariff in Japan.
That’s because U.S. beef sales to Japan actually rose by more than 20 percent in August from a year earlier, even after Japan raised the tariff on frozen beef imports from some countries to 50 percent from 38.5 percent on Aug. 1. A surge in Japan’s imports of chilled and fresh beef from the U.S. more than offset a decline in frozen beef imports.