U.S. President Donald Trump expressed willingness Monday to impose "a reciprocal tax" against countries having trade surplus with the United States, including allies such as Japan.
Meeting with state and local officials at the White House, Trump voiced frustration with the wide trade gaps with not only China but U.S. allies.
"We lose vast amounts of money with China and Japan and South Korea and so many other countries," Trump said. "Some of them are so-called 'allies,' but they're not allies on trade."
Complaining about some countries charging "50 and 75 pct" taxes on goods from the United States, Trump stressed he cannot tolerate such "unfair" tariffs. "So we're going to be doing very much a reciprocal tax," the president said. "And you'll be hearing about that during the week and during the coming months."
The envisaged tax will be charged against countries "that take advantage of the United States," Trump noted, adding that the tariff policy change will be "a little tough" for such countries as the three major Asian trade partners.
Immigration Bureau's relaxed visa policy has boosted tourism from southeast Asia, but it seems to have come with an unwanted side-effect. (soranews24.com)
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is not saying whether or not he nominated Donald Trump for this year's Nobel Peace Prize, but the question may be moot: the U.S. president has been put forward by others for the prestigious award. (Japan Today)
Police on Monday arrested a truck driver for allegedly driving off with a man clinging to the side of his vehicle following a road rage incident in Miyagi Prefecture last June. (Japan Times)
The health ministry on Monday approved the world's first clinical test in which artificially derived stem cells will be used to treat patients with spinal cord injuries. (Japan Times)
Tokyo Metropolitan Police have arrested a 41-year-old man who while drunk is suspected of gashing more than one dozen luxury automobiles in Ota Ward last month, reports Nippon News Network (tokyoreporter.com)
Ibaraki Prefectural Police believe a male temporary employee at a research center for industrial machinery manufacturer Kubota Corp. stabbed another employee before slashing himself on Sunday, reports TV Asahi (tokyoreporter.com)
A movie by the Japanese director Hikari picked up two awards at the Berlin International Film Festival on Saturday. "37 Seconds" won the Panorama Audience Award and the CICAE Art Cinema Award.
(NHK)
A 43-year-old employee of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism has been arrested for allegedly using his smartphone to film up the skirt of a high school girl on a train. (Japan Today)