The Trump administration’s announcement that it will impose 25% tariffs on automobile tariffs has roiled Tokyo, as the government is worried over the potential economic impact of tariffs on Japan’s largest export to the United States.
Prime Minister Ishiba Shigeru’s government is constrained in its ability to respond, both out of a desire to avoid a broader deterioration in relations with the US and concerns of the impact of a retaliatory spiral.
However, the automobile tariffs could weaken Ishiba politically when he is already vulnerable.
