Trump announced a 25% tariff on key allies Japan and South Korea. He explained the decision by a trade imbalance.
US President Donald Trump announced the introduction of a 25% tariff on all imports from Japan and South Korea.
This is stated in official letters sent to Japanese Prime Minister Ishibi Shigeru and South Korean President Lee Jae-myeon, published on the Truth Social platform.
In his addresses, Trump said Washington could no longer ignore “long-standing and persistent trade deficits” that he said were caused by allies' tariff and non-tariff policies. He said trade between the U.S. and Japan was “far from reciprocal.”
The new tariffs will come into effect on August 1, 2025. They will include all imports from Japan and South Korea, regardless of sector. In addition, the US authorities will impose a full duty on goods imported in transit from other countries to avoid tariffs.
At the same time, companies from Japan and South Korea have been offered an alternative – to move production to the U.S. Trump promised an accelerated approval procedure for such projects – “within a few weeks.”
