U.S. Tariffs Aimed at China Give Japan New Reasons to Worry
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Japan may be sympathetic to some of the complaints driving the U.S. to impose 25 percent tariffs on about $50 billion of Chinese-made products, but it will find little reason to cheer.
For one thing, if Chinese exports become more expensive in the U.S. because of the tariffs, competing goods from elsewhere will be more attractive. For Japan, that may create a bigger political liability in an era when U.S. President Donald Trump is haranguing even the U.S.’s closest allies about their bilateral trade balances.